Learn how to use i-Tree Eco and i-Tree Canopy to analyze urban trees, estimate ecosystem services, and create a better basis for decision-making in planning and management.

To what extent do the city’s trees help improve air quality, sequester carbon, and manage stormwater? What percentage of the municipality is covered by tree canopies, and how does canopy cover change over time?

In this digital course, you’ll learn how to use two of the most useful tools in i-Tree: i-Tree Eco and i-Tree Canopy. These tools enable you to analyze the structure, extent, and ecosystem services of trees and translate the results into concrete decision-making tools.

We’ll go over how the tools work, what data is needed, and how the results can be used in practice. The course combines theory with hands-on exercises and discussions about the possibilities, limitations, and applications in municipal tree management.

Course content

i-Tree Eco – Analyzing the Ecosystem Services Provided by Trees

i-Tree Eco is used to analyze tree populations and calculate their contribution to various ecosystem services. The tool can be used with data from existing tree inventories or from sample-based surveys.

Among other things, we'll cover:

• How i-Tree Eco works and what data is required.
• Differences between comprehensive tree inventories and sample-based surveys.
• How inventory data is prepared, imported, and analyzed.
• Calculations of, among other things, carbon sequestration, carbon uptake, air pollution control, and reduced stormwater runoff.
• How ecosystem services can be expressed in economic terms.
• How the results are interpreted and what uncertainties and limitations need to be taken into account.

i-Tree Canopy – Map and Monitor Canopy Cover

i-Tree Canopy is an easy-to-use tool for estimating tree canopy cover and other land cover types using randomly distributed points on aerial or satellite images. The tool does not require a traditional tree inventory and can therefore be used even when resources are limited.

Among other things, we'll cover:

• How to create a project and define a geographic area.
• How to classify points to calculate tree canopy cover and other land cover types.
• How the number of sampling points affects the statistical uncertainty of the results.
• How to compare different areas and track changes over time.
• How the results can be used to address, for example, the 3+30+300 initiative, tree coverage targets, and strategic green planning.

From Analysis to Practical Application

We discuss how the results from i-Tree Eco and i-Tree Canopy can complement each other and be used to:

• Raise awareness of the value of trees among politicians, government officials, and the general public.
• Develop the basis for tree strategies, green space plans, and priorities.
• Monitor changes in the city's tree population and canopy cover.
• Communicate the benefits of investing in the city's trees.
• Identify which analyses are appropriate based on available data, resources, and research questions.

This course is intended for:

This course is intended for those who work with the planning, management, inventory, or analysis of trees and green spaces. Examples include municipal tree managers, landscape architects, landscape engineers, ecologists, environmental strategists, planners, consulting arborists, and consultants.

No prior experience with i-Tree is required, but a basic understanding of trees and tree inventory is an advantage

Upon completion of the course, you will:

• Understand the differences between i-Tree Eco and i-Tree Canopy and be able to select the appropriate tool based on the purpose and available data.
• Have a basic understanding of how to perform analyses using both tools.
• Be able to interpret the results and understand their potential, uncertainties, and limitations.
• Understand how the results can be used in planning, management, monitoring, and communication.