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.