The primary objective of this study was to detect vegetation cover changes resulting from visitor use using remote sensing technology. Pre-classification change detection analyses based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) was mainly utilized to measure vegetation increases and decreases at Cadillac, Penobscot, and Sargent Mountain Summits, Acadia National Park, Maine. Specifically, by analyzing two high spatial remote sensing data collected in 2001 and 2021, vegetation cover changes were mapped and compared at the three summits. Overall, the measured vegetation cover changes at various thresholds and selected spatial extents showed similar patterns and trends in vegetation conditions, indicating more increases at Cadillac and more decreases at Sargent and Penobscot Summits during the timeframe. For example, based on the NDVI and ISODATA algorithm, the vegetation increase and decrease were 2.04% and 1.69% at Cadillac, 0.24% and 2.38% at Sargent, and 0.14% and 5.46% at Penobscot. The outcomes of the study provide strong evidence that the active management currently being used at Cadillac Mountain was not only beneficial but also effective in enhancing the amount of vegetation cover for the last fifteen years. Along with this result, the advantages of using remote sensing technology and data in detecting vegetation conditions are also discussed.
