Why aren’t my Ecosystem Benefits calculating?
There are many reasons why the Ecosystem Benefits might not populate. First, make sure all the necessary data is populated for the tree including correct i-Tree species codes (see required fields below). Ecosystem Benefits get updated every hour, so check back later if you recently added or updated a tree’s attributes.
1. Latitude/Longitude
2. Species (Species codes need to be populated and match a value from i-Tree’s list of accepted species)
3. DBH
4. Condition (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Critical, Dying, Dead)
5. Crown Light Exposure
For a quick way to check your inventory for missing ecosystem benefits, use the advanced filter to filter on trees where DBH or Species are null to get a subset of trees that will definitely need to be updated.
How long does it take for my Ecosystem Benefits to update?
Ecosystem Benefits are calculated every fifteen minutes for any new or updated trees. However, if you have uploaded a large dataset of trees or made thousands of updates to existing trees, it is possible that it will take longer than a single hour for each tree to be updated with ecosystem benefit values.
How do I change my species codes?
Users can update their species codes directly from their species list in TreePlotter. Navigate to Hub>Data Tools>Lookup Table Editor to get to your species list. Click in a cell in the i-Tree Species Code column to pull up a list of acceptable values. i-Tree doesn’t support all species, but they periodically update their species list with new species. Use this spreadsheet to verify or look up any species codes.
What if I have species codes I want to use outside of the accepted i-Tree species codes?
There are now two standard species code columns within each TreePlotter species list. The i-Tree Species Code column is directly connected to ecosystem benefits and will only allow users to select a valid i-Tree Species Code. The second Species Code column allows users to input any other species code they would like to associate or use with the species row.
What if my Condition values don’t match the i-Tree Condition values?
Condition values will need to mapped to an accepted i-Tree condition value exactly or ecosystem benefits will not be calculated (Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, Critical, Dying, Dead). See the steps for mapping the Condition values in question below. If a condition is not set or null, a default value of fair will be used for the calculations.
Does your data have non-standard condition values?
Use the lookup table editor within TreePlotter to map your unique values to an i-Tree accepted value.
- Open the Condition Lookup Table Editor (Hub>Data Tools>Lookup Table Editor>Trees Condition)
- For each of your condition values choose a corresponding i-Tree accepted value from the dropdown
- Ecosystem benefits can now be populated using your chosen mappings
What if I don’t have Crown Light Exposure information for my trees?
Any tree with a null Crown Light Exposure value will be given a default value of “Three sides of the crown are exposed to light” when the benefits are calculated. Update this field for more accurate numbers, but it is not necessary to populate it for all trees.
Where are the Property and Energy values?
i-Tree no longer includes Property and Energy ecosystem benefit values as part of a basic ecosystem benefit output.
How do I get my values in a different currency or unit?
Reach out to our support team at support@planitgeo.com to change the currency or units within your application.
Are my archived trees included in the Overall Benefits view in the Hub?
No, archived tree values are not included in the overall ecosystem benefits. If you do need to get values for archived trees, apply a filter for archived trees using the advanced filter.
Why are my Ecosystem Benefit values so low?
There are lots of reasons the values might be lower than you expect. First, check to make sure all data is populated for your trees, so every tree is getting values. Check out all the data cleanup tips and tricks above. With the removal of property and energy values, as mentioned above, overall benefits are also going to be lower. Finally, i-Tree has worked to make these calculations as scientifically accurate as possible, and with the new science, the numbers will be impacted.