The USGS UMESC is producing a vegetation map of the management corridor for the Appalachian National Scenic Trail. The UMESC has been conducting vegetation mapping for NPS for over a decade. These highly accurate and highly detailed vegetation maps are used by individual parks to manage lands and conduct research. High-resolution (0.305 m or better) true color and color infrared digital photography collected during peak fall color is used in a three-dimensional digitizing platform to distinguish vegetation at the Alliance and Association level of the NVCS across the entire park. This project, initiated in 2009, will be delivered to the NPS in 2017.
http://www.umesc.usgs.gov/mapping/nps_vip.html
The area around the Lake of the Clouds hut on Mt. Washington, New Hampshire, showing the great variability of alpine vegetation found along this portion of the Appalachian Trail.