Abstract: As an crucial energy supply area and ecological barrier construction area in China,vegetation plays a vital role in the ecological protection of the northern Shanxi.Studying the spatiotemporal evolution of fractional vegetation coverage (FVC) and influence mechanism can provide a reference for building the ecological security in northern Shanxi.Based on the google earth engine (GEE) platform,we constructed pixel dichotomy model and used MODIS NDVI data to calculate the FVC in northern Shanxi from 2000 to 2020,and explored dynamic change pattern and the factors that influence them through trend analysis,hot spot detection,and geographic detectors.The results indicate that:(1)From 2000 to 2020,the FVC in in northern Shanxi showed an increasing trend,rising from 0.67 to 0.78,with a multi-year average of 0.73,indicating an overall high level.The spatial differentiation of FVC is significantly heterogeneous,characterized as “lower in the northwest and higher in the southeast”,and the Hengshan Mountains and Wutai Mountain area exhibited the best FVC.(2)During the 21 years,areas showing vegetation improvement accounted for 46.92% of the total area,with the Datong Basin displaying a pronounced restoration trend.Areas experiencing vegetation degradation accounted for 30.54%,forming scattered cold spots predominantly located at the interface between mountainous areas and basins.(3)Landform type,rainfall,and land use are the primary factors,The influence of each factor on vegetation coverage is enhanced after interaction,among which the influence of land use and landform type after interaction is the highest.