i-Tree Canopy FAQs

How many points do I need to classify for a project? Does i-Tree Canopy determine the amount for me?

A: You will need to classify enough points to achieve your desired standard. Generally, we recommend targeting a standard error of less than +/- 2% for each land use classification. This typically requires between 500-1000 points. The number of points only depends on the variability of cover in your study and is not impacted by the size of the area. i-Tree Canopy reports the calculated standard error for each cover class as you collect points.

What counts as tree cover?

If the center of the cross hairs falls on a surface that you deem to be the leaves of a tree, it counts as tree canopy. If the imagery was taken during leaf-off, you may need to visually estimate the size of the crown to help classify points. The key is to be consistent and have clearly defined rules for what counts as a tree for your project.

Can I upload my own imagery into i-Tree Canopy to do a canopy cover change analysis?

We don’t currently have the capacity to host external imagery in i-Tree Canopy. Advanced users can replicate the i-Tree Canopy methods in a GIS or Google Earth Pro. They could do this either outside of i-Tree Canopy or with the change survey methods using their own imagery in a GIS rather than using Google Earth. For guidance on how to complete these analyses, refer to the i-Tree Canopy section in our Video Learning library.

How can I download the results to my computer?

A: From the “Project” dropdown at the top of the screen you can export the points (latitude and longitude in decimal degrees) and their assigned landcover as a .csv or a kml/kmz that can be used in a GIS. To save the report tables, you can copy and paste them from the webpage or choose to print them to a pdf under the “Report” dropdown on the top of the report page. If you have a recent version of Excel you can open pdfs by going to the “Data” tab in Excel and selecting “Get Data”.

How do I find that date of imagery being used in i-Tree Canopy?

The imagery in i-Tree Canopy is provided through Google Maps and the only known way verify the date is through Google Earth Pro. In Google Earth Pro, the imagery date is listed along the bottom of the map. This video will walk you through the process.

Why isn’t the map image displaying in i-Tree Canopy?

i-Tree Canopy uses Google Maps as a basemap. You must have permission to access these maps on your network for the map image to display. For trouble shooting, you can try clearing the cache or using the application on a different browser or internet connection.