Tropical dry forests in the Pacific are the most endangered forest type in the world. In the Hawaiian Islands, 17 native study sites, representing the largest and best-preserved fragments were identified. Belt transects totaling 1000 m2 were established at each site, then, species richness, density, and basal area were quantified. Three sites on the island of Lanai were used as preliminary sites to test the relationship between NDVI and species richness. The mean and standard deviation of NDVI values were collected at the forest stand level directly over the fifth and sixth transect belts of each site. Kanepuu 1 had the highest mean NDVI, the highest standard deviation of NDVI, the highest native species density, but also the lowest species richness. Kanepuu 2 had the highest species richness, but had the lowest mean NDVI, and the lowest standard deviation of NDVI. Kanepuu 3 had intermediate mean and standard deviation NDVI values and species richness similar to Kanepuu 1, but had the lowest native density of all sites. Compared to non-native monospecific sites, there does not appear to be a significant difference in mean NDVI or standard deviation, although species richness is much lower. These preliminary data suggest that mean NDVI may be a good predictor of basal area or density of forest fragments.