Em levantamento do uso do solo por fotointerpretação, em cinco municípios do Estado de São Paulo, foram determinadas as porcentagens de floresta, cerrado, pastagem, campo, terra de cultura e área urbana. Complementarmente foram realizadas amostragens de campo em áreas de pasto sorteadas nos mosaicos, com determinação da área basal e sombreamento. As áreas com pastagem variaram de 55 a 78%. Os municípios de Lagoinha e Rancharia, tipicamente pastoris, apresentaram-se com 3 a 8% de agricultura e 78 a 57% de pasto. O município de Pinhal apresentou equilíbrio entre pastagem e agricultura quando tomadas as normas conservacionistas. Nos estudos de sombreamento, áreas basal e colonizada, encontraram-se variações dentro da mesma espécie de gramíneas, entre municípios, e entre as referidas espécies no mesmo município. A baixa densidade de plantas forrageiras nos pastos revela técnicas de manejo diferentes.
Five counties in the State of São Paulo were studied by photo interpretation for land use. Forests, "cerrado" (savanna), grassland, pastures, crop fields and urban areas were determined and located in maps. Field samples, selected by statistical methods, were collected in four counties in order to study the vertical projection of green cover ("sombreamento"), the "basal area", i. e. the soil surface occupied by vegetation, and the "colonized area", that is the area occupied by plant species. The extent of pastures in these counties oscillates between 55 and 78%. Lagoinha and Rancharia counties are typical pasture regions with 78 to 57% of the area occupied by this land use, with 3 to 8% by field crops. Pinhal county presents a balanced use of pastures and crops, according to the land capability. Variations were found in the green covered, in the basal and occupied areas for the same species among counties and among species in the same county. The low density of forage plants in all pastures suggest that a better management is required to improve herb colonization so as to increase cattle production and avoid erosion problems.