Map showing vegetation distribution in the central part of the East Tintic Mountains, Utah

With the development of remote sensing technology has come the capability of defining and mapping plant communities by means of their spectral properties.  Such maps will be an important aid in resource evaluation and management, especially in densely vegetated and remote areas of the world.

This study in part of a broader program to determine the usefulness of multispectral scanner aircraft and satellite images for mapping lithologic units and vegetation communities (Rowan and others, 1974; 1977; Abrams and others, 1997; Rowan and Abrams, 1978a; 1978b; Kahle and Rowan, 1979, written commun.).