You can quantify the relative benefits of an individual tree, and project its future benefits as it grows through the years, with i-Tree Design:
i-Tree Design (beta) allows anyone to make a simple estimation of the benefits individual trees provide. With inputs of location, species, tree size and condition, users will get an understanding of the benefits that trees provide related to greenhouse gas mitigation, air quality improvements and storm water interception. With the added step of drawing a house or building footprint—and virtually “planting” a tree—trees’ effects on building energy use can be evaluated.
This tool is intended to be a simple and accessible starting point for understanding individual trees’ value to the homeowner and their community.
Using it is straightforward:
- Enter a street address.
- Select the common name of the tree species or genus.
- Enter the size, indicated by DBH: diameter at breast height (5′ off the ground).
- Select the general health or condition of the tree, from “Excellent” to “Dead or Dying.”
The results are returned quickly. Details are available from the different tabs.
The application requires Flash to be supported and enabled in your browser, so it won’t work behind many corporate firewalls.
[goo.gl]
Xris, thanks again for responding to my Twitter query about assessing eco-values for individual trees.