Vegetation establishment (VIP 14) can be determined using multispectral satellite imagery and image processing software to compute the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). NDVI is a measure of the amount and vigor of vegetation growth and these images are developed to more easily distinguish green vegetation from bare soils. The NDVI image can be displayed in color to visually determine vegetation establishment at the site. The figure below shows an NDVI image over a revegetated portion of the McKinley mine site. The areas in a light to dark purple gradient are water and bare soil categories and the yellow to green gradient represents a sparse to dense vegetation gradient. The image can be categorized into percent cover categories to determine if the percent cover for an area meets the vegetation success standards identified in the permit.
Vegetation Establishment at McKinley Mine site.