Abstract:The pattern of the vegetated landscape in Beijing was analyzed using fractals and the GIS software ARC/INFO. Patch complexity was examined for a range of defined vegetation types. Significant positive linear correlations were found between fractal dimensions calculated using two different methods, and between each of the two fractal dimensions and average patch size. Fractal dimensions for the types within a type in the higher level are more similar than those not within a type in the higher level. Two domains of scale were identified: those larger and smaller than about 2.7km2. Patches in the large domain are more complex than those in the smaller domain. The main reason for which is that large patches are often inlaid with smaller ones while this phenomenon rarely occurs among smaller patches.