contributors
contributions
recorded tree species
Trees provide essential ecosystem services, such as carbon storage or local temperature regulation, and play an important role in climate change resilience, particularly in urban areas. Quantifying these services in cities is difficult because there is little information about individual trees and no allometric model currently exists for urban trees.
UrTrees calls on citizens to help collect measurements and increase our knowledge of the key features of urban trees. With the UrTrees mobile application, only a short video around the tree is needed to measure three essential features: tree height, trunk diameter at breast height (1m30 above ground) and crown volume. No special expertise on trees is required to use UrTrees!
Technically, a three-dimensional point cloud of the digitized tree is first derived from the video. Geometric models of the trunk and crown are then fitted to the point cloud to estimate key measurements (see video). All measurements are stored in a database providing data for urban tree studies (see contributions). To improve the user experience, a scoring system, daily quests, and an interactive visualization of the point cloud are included in the app.
07/2025
UrTrees has been presented to the UK Tree Health Citizen Science Network. This network gathers British tree and citizen science experts from a wide range of backgrounds.
06/2025
A pilot user study has involved 12 volunteers from The Parks Trust charity in Milton Keynes, UK. These volunteers, all very interested in trees but not necessarily in digital technologies, have tried the UrTrees mobile application and scanned two trees in Campbell Park in Milton Keynes. Their feedback is very positive! Their detailed comments will help us further improve the mobile application. A deep thank you to all of them, and also to Sarah Griffiths, Outdoor Learning and Interpretation Manager at The Parks Trust, who helped us organise this event!
11/2024
UrTrees is presented during the TRIDIFOR workshop to the french-speaking scientific community on 3D forest digitisation! If you are curious, it happens here!
05/2024
The UrTrees project was unveiled to the general public at the popular science festival Pint Of Science 2024 at Shadock in Strasbourg.
04/2024
First event for UrTrees! The project has been presented to the European Citizen Science Association during its 2024 conference in Vienna, Austria. The corresponding scientific publication is available here.
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