with 
e false 
Proc, 
5.605. 
minations 
'h altitude 
"icant 
;h Resources. 
1 sequential 
zraphye 
3 Sensing 
Lfornia, 
akland 
significant 
th Resources. 
(A): 1041-51 
econnaissance 
tory and 
1 land resources 
Conf. Agric. 
a Leone, 
e sensing 
esources surveys. 
eminar, 
es. 1st 
ar, Freetown, 
resources 
je Great 
sant results 
ircese 
yer type 
cale aerial 
on Remote 
gan: 
SURVEY MAPPING OF SWEDISH VEGETATION FROM THE INTERPRETATION 
OF AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS 
Margareta Ihse 
Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm 
AIMS 
Up to the present day there has been an almost complete lack of vegetational 
survey maps in Sweden. A Start has now been made with the production of maps 
to cover an area 50.000 km“ of the central mountain chain on the Swedish- 
Norwegian border (Scandes) and plans exist for producing vegetational maps 
covering an entire province in many parts of the country. The aim in produc- 
ing such maps of the vegetation cover is to provide a basic material for use 
in planning in such fields as: 
- decisionmaking in questions of nature conservation priorities, both from 
botanical and zoological points of view 
- to be able to follow the changes occurring after such decisions have been 
made and as a check on boundary and other transgressions of already exist- 
ing nature reserves and national parks 
- in the assessment of the suitability of different areas for outdoor 
recreation 
- assessment of the preconditions for land utilisation and of the probable 
consequences of changes in land usage. 
The only realistic possibility of rapidly producing such basic maps has been 
by aerial photographic interpretation. Methodological studies were commenced 
in 1973 at the Dept. of Physical Geography of Stockholm University, financed 
by the Swedish Environmental Protection Board, to investigate the possibility 
of mapping vegetation by interpreting aerial photographs. The aim of these 
studies was to establish the most suitable types of films and photographs to 
use as well as to provide guidance on the most suitable flying altitudes, and 
time of season and to assess the degree of precision obtained in relation to 
the time involved in preparing such survey maps. 
Two main types of photographic material were investigated, viz. black-and- 
white (panchromatic) film on a scale of 1:30,000 and IR colour film on scales 
varying from 1:10,000 to 1:50,000. Previously, black-and-white (panchromatic) 
aerial photographs had mainly been used for such interpretational studies of 
vegetational units. Such aerial photographs in fact exist for the whole country. 
IR colour film had also been used in special circumstances, since it yields 
photos on which different kinds of vegetation are discernible with a much 
better degree of contrast than on those made from black-and-white film. Further- 
more, it yields good quality phétos even when flying at high altitudes, since 
haze present no obstacle. 
Research into the most appropriate methods of producing such vegetation maps 
has been carried out in two different areas, one involving mountain and up- 
land vegetation and another comprising the typical vegetation cover of the 
southern and central parts of Sweden.