How do I use PhillyTreeMap?

There are several ways that you can explore and use PhillyTreeMap.

1. Find Trees: Use PhillyTreeMap to search for trees near a specific address or in a general neighborhood using the Filter by Location search box located at the top of the page. Type an address, city, and state or select a location by clicking the List button. Click the "Go" button located in the search box to find trees near that location. You can also search by a tree's species using the Filter by Species search box. Discover which trees are near your home!
2. Add Trees: Do you know of a tree that isn't listed in PhillyTreeMap? Add trees near your home or in your neighborhood and help us create a more complete inventory of trees in our region. To add a tree, we recommend first searching PhillyTreeMap to verify that the tree isn't already in the site. If it's not listed, go ahead and add your tree! To add a tree, you will need to create a free account and then log in to the system. Once you've logged in, visit the Add a Tree page to enter information about your tree. Fill out the requested information in the three simple steps and then click "Add this Tree."
3. Edit Trees: Many trees in PhillyTreeMap may need to be updated with new information. Search PhillyTreeMap for trees near your home or in your neighborhood. Each green dot indicates the location of a tree. Click the dot to read more information. Do you have something to add about this tree? Click the "Edit Details" link inside the tree's information box to add or edit information about the tree including its species, location, plot type, and other details. You will need to create a free account and log in to edit trees.

Thank you for your assistance in making PhillyTreeMap a great resource for information on trees in the greater 13-county, 3-state Philadelphia region!

How do I find out the species of my tree?

Visit the PhillyTreeMap Tree Key to research the species of your tree. The tree key will walk you through the process of determining a tree species based on leaf structure. If you cannot definitively determine your tree species, you can still add your tree to PhillyTreeMap. If possible, upload images of your tree and its bark, leaves, flowers, or fruit. Other PhillyTreeMap users may be able to determine the tree species based on these images.

What if the species of my tree is not listed in the tree key?

We tried to include all the major species found in the Philadelphia region, but we could easily have missed a few. If your tree’s species is not an option in PhillyTreeMap, email [email protected] to have it added to the system.

How do I measure the diameter of my tree’s trunk?

Entering the diameter of a tree is crucial for helping track that tree’s growth and environmental benefits. Measuring the diameter can be a bit tricky though. The following video from the people at UrbanForestMap.org provides a quick tutorial on an easy way to measure your tree’s diameter.

What does plot type mean?

Plot type refers to the location where the tree is planted. There are a number of different possible plot types. Please select the one that most accurately reflects your tree's location.

• Median/Island - Trees located in a portion of land between streets or a divided roadway
• Natural Area - Trees located in a non-developed location that is not maintained as a lawn or recreational area
• Other - Trees that do not fit in another category (a tree in a rooftop garden, a tree in an interior atrium, etc)
• Park - Trees located in maintained parks or recreational areas
• Planter - Trees located in a raised container rather than planted at ground level
• Tree Lawn - Trees located in a strip of grass located between a street and the sidewalk
• Well/Pit - Trees located in a rectangular cut in the sidewalk, specifically designated for trees
• Yard - Trees located in the yard or open space around a home or building

What is the source of the tree data in PhillyTreeMap?

Our data comes from several different datasets gathered by local horticultural organizations in the last fifteen years. Organizations that contributed data include the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and the Township of Lower Merion.

How can I support urban forestry in Philadelphia?

There are a number of great ways to get involved in caring for trees and supporting conservation events throughout Philly.

1. Add trees to PhillyTreeMap! One of the best ways to ensure that trees are properly cared for and maintained is to have an accurate and current inventory of the urban tree population. Do you know of a tree that isn’t in PhillyTreeMap? Add that tree now or update existing tree information!
2. Discover more about how urban trees can increase energy efficiency, protect our waterways, and generally make for a more green and enjoyable living space. Check out our Resources page for more information.
3. Volunteer with the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, or another community horticulture group. PHS has a number of volunteer opportunities that help support gardens and green spaces in Philadelphia. The Tree Tenders program provides hands-on training in tree care while the Garden Tenders group provides training in starting and maintaining community gardens. Youth programs and individual volunteer opportunities are also available. Fairmount Park also offers a number of volunteer opportunities including clean up events, plantings, and maintenance activities. More information is available on the Philadelphia Parks & Recreation website.
4. Visit Tree Philly! If you live in the City of Philadelphia, visit the Tree Philly website to request trees for your yard or street, volunteer to support urban forestry programs, or learn how to care for your trees.
5. Spread the Word! Tell others about PhillyTreeMap and the importance of urban trees. The more tree advocates we have, the greener we can make our communities!

Can I add tree information for trees outside of Philadelphia?

Absolutely! PhillyTreeMap supports the addition of information for trees in the greater thirteen county, three state region around Philadelphia - the same region covered by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Plant One Million campaign.

My town or community has a lot of tree data. Is there a way to upload many trees at once?

If you are from a town or other community and have a tree inventory you would like to add to PhillyTreeMap, please contact [email protected].

How can I be sure that the information in PhillyTreeMap is accurate?

Much of the data comes from horticultural organizations in Philadelphia who have carefully surveyed street trees throughout the city. You can help us ensure that the data is as current and accurate as possible by updating and correcting information on the trees in your neighborhood. We have implemented a number of checks that will hopefully prevent the entering of incorrect data. If you find incorrect information, please correct it!

Why does it list reputation points next to my user name?

Any individual can register for a free PhillyTreeMap account and add trees to the database or edit existing tree information. Public users gain reputation points by contributing to the PhillyTreeMap database. After reaching 1,000 reputation points, users may edit additional data fields related to the height and status of the tree. Users with this higher reputation level may also review public edits and provide positive (thumbs-up), neutral, or negative (thumbs-down) responses to the edit. Such actions affect the public user's reputation (i.e. if a more experienced user likes your edit, you get additional reputation points). Reputation points are gained and lost according to the following system.

• Adding a tree is +25 points
• Editing a tree is +5 points
• Receiving a thumbs-up on your edit is +5 points
• Receiving a thumbs-down on your edit is -5 points
• Receiving a neutral reaction to your edit is +1 point
• Achieve advanced user status at 1,000 points
• Users cannot gain or lose more than 100 points per day

How do I report an issue with a tree or a hazardous or dead tree?

PhillyTreeMap is a collaborative mapping tool and inventory of trees in the greater Philadelphia region. It is not a tool for reporting issues with trees or potentially hazardous or dead trees. If you are concerned about a public tree, please contact your local government. Within the City of Philadelphia, please use the Philly 311 system. If you are located outside the City of Philadelphia, please contact your local government to determine the best way to report tree issues.

Why does it say there is no eco impact data available for my neighborhood?

To calculate the eco impact of a tree, the iTree software we use must know the species and diameter of the tree. For many of the trees, we might know the location of the tree but not the exact species and diameter. For this reason, many neighborhoods in Philadelphia may show lots of trees but not list any eco impact data. You can help us more accurately calculate eco data by entering the species and diameter for trees in your neighborhood.

What is the source of the eco impact data?

We calculated the economic benefits and environmental impacts of the trees using the i-Tree software provided by the USDA Forest Service. This software provides options for calculating benefits by assigning a dollar value to the impact of trees in a number of ecological areas. These areas include electricity, natural gas, carbon dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and stormwater interception. The USDA Forest Service provides default dollar values for each of the categories in iTree. We used these default values for carbon dioxide, particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, sulfur dioxide, volatile organic compounds, and stormwater interception as no values specific to the Philadelphia region were available. For the electricity fields, we used a price of $0.1323 per Kwh based on local Philadelphia electricity rates for residential customers. For natural gas rates, we used a price of $1.50 per therm. To calculate the benefits to a homeowner, we also entered a median home sale price for Philadelphia of $120,000 based on data gathered from Trulia.com, the real estate search site. Based on these numbers, i-Tree calculated the approximate financial benefits of a tree based on its species and size.