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counting dead trees! In forest recreation areas there is a need to analyze the 
impact of dead trees on recreational values. Are dead trees noted by park 
visitors, do their presence detract from the quality of the visit? There is 
some suggestion that dead trees in a park landscape are not perceived by the 
"normal" park visitor. 
Another question is: "How accurately can damage trends be predicted 
from the examination of photographs?" The rate of spread can be calculated by 
examination of sequential, temporal photographs. How are these facts extra 
polated into the future? Is the damage being overcome by new growth, is it in 
a "steady state", is it spreading? If it is spreading, how fast is it spreading? 
These questions need to be answered, and remote sensing interpretation can 
help in many instances. 
Finally a need exists to look at the interpretation method. Is the 
photography or base data more suitable for machine or "people interpretation", 
or both? What are the constraints of either method? If human interpreters 
are used, the interpreters’perception ability should be examined. How does he 
see colors? Does this affect the results? Such testing should be done by prop 
erly trained professionals, not other interpreters before surveys are started. 
The above questions can be answered by new research, the problems answered 
through more effective communication. 
CONCLUSION 
The state-of-the-art of interpretation of vegetation damage has 
been considered. It seems that techniques are available to detect and map most 
types of vegetation damage problems, — given the proper equipment and sufficient 
money to do the job. The greatest problem remains in analyzing the effects of the 
damage. Lack of effective communication coupled with resistence to accept new 
techniques are probably the most important reasons for the sporadic nature of 
utilizing new remote sensing techniques when doing vegetation damage surveys. 
"Jumping on the bandwagon" has also been detrimental to organized advances in 
vegetation damage surveys. Let us avoid being tagged with the old addage, " the 
only difference between men and boys is the price of their toys", when it comes 
to investigating the nature of a new product and utilizing its capabilities. 
By putting "new products" in the proper perspective, and by "selling" through 
effective communication, monitoring the environment by remote sensing and inter 
pretation techniques or vegetation damage can become a modern reality.