METHODOLOGICAL STUDIES ON THE MAPPING OF MOUNTAIN VEGETATION 
The mountain vegetation is the easiest to study using aerial photographs, 
since the forest cover is both sparser and covers far less area, thus pre- 
senting far less hindrance in photographic interpretation, and because the 
lack of human influence on the vegetation, thus allowing the basic natural 
environmental factors to exert their full ecological effect. 
There are two main problems in making vegetation maps from aerial photo- 
graphs, firstly, the difficulty of drawing up boundaries between homogeneous 
vegetational units; secondly, ensuring that such units are botanically 
correct. 
The vegetational classification scheme adapted for mapping the mountain 
plant communities has been specially adapted for use in aerial' photograph 
interpretation. It is based on phytosocialogical, ecological and physio- 
gnomic criteria. The vegetation is classified as heath, grassland or mire, 
each group being subdivided in relation to nutrient status and humidity 
(fig. 1). In the lowalpine region the depth and duration of the snow cover 
plays a large part in determining vegetational distribution. 
MOUNTAIN VEGETATION REGIONS MAPPED VEGETATION COMMUNITIES 
    
   
    
   
    
  
  
  
     
high alpine boulders,bare rocks 
menn" 1600. x Tm TErass-dom Heath 7 
moderate 
snowbeds 
extreme 
m uendouc $ Ov herbe, 
high herbs 
very dry 
dry 
heaths damp 
s wipe t ann 
lichenrich 
birch forestimossrich 
----.-----Dh£BHd$5ha 
i coniferous \ mossrich 
Coniferous fores A \ À A À À forest herbrich 
Alpine middle alpine 
region 
low alpine 
    
   
        
   
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Birch forest- 
region 
     
      
   
region clear-cut 
A amy mire mire,dry,wet 
t. [miens 
inclined fen 
cultured areas 
Fig. | Classification scheme for the swedish mountain vegetation. 
The figure also shows the different alpine regions. 
   
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
  
   
   
  
  
   
   
  
    
  
  
   
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
   
  
  
   
  
  
  
  
    
    
   
  
   
   
    
     
      
    
  
   
   
     
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