Vegetation of Southeast Asia Studies of Forest Types 1963-1965

were of little practical value for the interpretion of vegetation.
The negatives were retained by the Royal Air .Force, and photographic
copies are not obtainable except by rephotographing the original
prints deposited in the files of the Geographical Service of Indochina,
stationed at Dalat.
At the request of the Geographical Service of Indochina, additional
aerial surveys were made during 19^8-50, using a scale of
1:20,000, over certain parts of the country. In general the photographs
were good.
In 1952 the Geographical Service organized the photographing of
a large section of Indochina, on a scale of 1:1*0,000. This was
undertaken by the Photometric Service of the National Geographic
Institute of Paris (l.G.W.), with good results. Unfortunately, the
scale adopted was only for cartographic purpose, too small for
fcrestiy use, and indicated only the first stratification of broad
forest formations to determine their boundaries.
Aerial Photography la North Borneo; According to Francis and
Wood, during the period 19^5 to 195U nearly the whole of North
Borneo was covered by Royal Air Force aerial photography. Flying
conditions were seldom ideal and the varying quality of the photographs,
together with their small scale (1:25,000 end 1:30,000),
greatly restricted the amount of desirable information obtained
from them.
These photographs were used at the headquarters of the Forest
Department in Sandakan to prepare vegetation naps on a scale of
1:50,000. The prime purpose of the maps was to show the extent of
commercial forest in the colony. At the same time different vegetation
types, distinguished with reasonable accuracy from the area,
were plotted on the maps. Broadly classified as forests of commercial
value, other non-commercial vegetation, and vegetation resulting
from man's activities, these were separated into 16
vegetation types, arranged under 6 main headings.
A. Salt Water Swamp Forest - (l) Mangrove; (2) Nipa; and
(2) Mixed Coastal Forest.
B. Transitional Forest - (k) Casuarina Fringe,- (5) Nibong
palm, Coastal Padang and other Beach Forest.
C. Inland Forest - Drained - (6) Traes with large crown;
(7) Trees with medium crown; (8) Trees with small crown;
(9) Montane forest and similar growth.
D. Inland Forest - subject to Flood - (10) Trees with large
crown; (11) Trees with medium crown; (12) Trees with small
crown.
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