An Error Analysis of the Photographic Technique for Measuring Percent Vegetative Cover

A vertical overhead ground photographic technique was developed to determine percent vegetative ground cover. Acquisition of the photographs is rapid and simple and the technique is well suited to situations where simplicity and speed in the field are necessary. A vegetative canopy model was used to derive a measure of the errors inherent in the technique. The degree of error is related to the canopy structure and is at a minimum in dense canopies.