i-Tree App Reveals the Benefits of Planting Trees and Much More

Even with the multitude of benefits we have read and heard about in the case for including trees in our landscape, there are still skeptics who think this information is biased and from the mouths of “tree huggers.” If you’re one of these non-believers you may be surprised to learn about i-Tree, a software suite from the USDA Forest Service. Learn more about i-Tree and how it’s bringing what you know about forestry to a whole new level.

Background on i-Tree

i-Tree (now in suite v5.0) “provides urban and community forestry analysis and benefits assessment tools.” The system is designed to manage the forestry within communities and provide information that can be used in the management and planning on varying levels. The system also includes information on the health and ecosystem benefits provided by the forestry.

i-Tree has been available since 2006 and is used by a variety of groups to report on the local and even statewide effects the forestry has on the ecosystem. Although the program was developed in the U.S., people around the world are using the software. In the U.S., there are 8,718 users.

Applications to Assess Urban Forestry

The i-Tree Urban Forest Assessment Applications are used to “quantify ecosystem services and benefit values of community trees at multiple scales.” These applications provide users information to be used in the strategic planning of forestry education, awareness and management. Below is a list of the applications and their purpose.

• i-Tree Eco Provides an overview of an urban forest
• i-Tree Streets Highlights a municipality’s street tree benefits
• i-Tree Hydro Simulates potential changes in stream flow and water quality with alterations in tree cover
• i-Tree Vue Measures the effects of future planting benefits by using the National Land Cover Database (NLCD)
• i-Tree Design Works with Google Maps to uncover benefits, including energy usage, and how they’re affected by the tree selection and size within the mapped area
• i-Tree Canopy Provides an estimate of tree canopy and other types of cover using Google Map aerial images

Utilities to Manage Urban Forestry

The i-Tree Management Utilities go a step beyond those found in the applications. These tools support forestry management planning.

• i-Tree Species Helps users select forestry based on the existing species represented
• i-Tree Pest Detection Module Detects tree pests or diseases
• i-Tree Storm Assesses storm damage
• i-Tree Mobile Data Collection Makes information available through mobile and other portable web devices

The information available through i-Tree put communities and organizations at a huge advantage when producing or implementing a plan for their urban forestry. With so many unknowns in the world of our ecosystem, it’s comforting to know that information is being tracked through programs such as i-Tree. If you would like to know more about how to make the most of the trees included in your landscape, email us at info@ostvigtree.com and talk to one of our certified arborists.