a. General. Although special care is taken in mapping woodland cover, vegetation in many areas is subject to rapid growth or to elimination by cutting or burning. Before using the map, the user should determine the last date of information of the map (found in the notes in the lower left margin) and gage the reliability of the woodland information accordingly. The symbols used indicate such features as cover suitable for the concealment of troops, obstacles to free passage, and landmarks in areas bearing little vegetation. On small-scale maps, particularly the 1:1,000,000 scale, the vegetation is usually omitted entirely.
b. Growths Shown. Only perennial types of growth are mapped. Isolated trees and low scattered growths usually are omitted. Small clumps of growths are usually omitted, except where they serve as landmarks in areas of little woodland cover. Small clearings usually are also omitted. In certain areas, the limits and types of growth are fairly constant. In such cases, a distinction may have been made on the map between deciduous, coniferous, and brushwood growths. In many other cases, lack of information and the changing nature of growths make it impractical to make such a distinction.
c. Continuous Cover. The presence of a vegetation symbol does not necessarily mean that the area is completely covered. Depending upon the area, growth having as little as 20 to 35 percent canopy cover is symbolized as continuous.
d. Symbols. The following contain the approved symbols for vegetation features.
