i-Tree tools were initially released and made freely available by the USDA Forest Service in August 2006. Since then, the tools have been used by thousands of communities,
NGOs
, volunteers, consultants and students to analyse and report on everything from individual
trees
to parcels, neighbourhoods, cities and states.
i-Tree tools enable users to understand the
ecosystem services
provided by trees and demonstrate the '
value
' of trees for environmental quality and community wellbeing. Tools include Tree Canopy Assessment Tools and
Tree Planting
Tools, among others. The suite of tools is designed to be accessible to a broad audience. Free resources, office hours, teach-ins and additional support are also available to those looking to use the tools.
i-Tree relies on private and public
funding
to run and develop new tools, demonstrating a blend of public and
private sector
collaboration not uncommon in the space of validating ecosystem services. The suite of tools has been developed through a cooperative partnership involving the U.S. Forest Service, Davey Tree Expert Company, Casey Trees, The Arbor Day Foundation, International Society of Arboriculture and Urban and Community Forestry Society.
i-Tree seeks to strengthen
forest management
and advocacy efforts through offering accessible ways to quantify the environmental benefits of trees. Nonetheless, i-Tree raises questions about the ways that trees may be valued and understood as 'resources' going forward.