How does i-Tree Eco simulate leaf area fluctuation in leaf-in/ leaf-off season ?

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weishuo
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Apr 22, 2019 8:59 am

How does i-Tree Eco simulate leaf area fluctuation in leaf-in/ leaf-off season ?

Post by weishuo » Mon Apr 22, 2019 9:06 am

Is there any clear boundary or precise definition of leaf-in and leaf-off season? (e.g. What is the time period used by i-Tree Eco to calculate air pollution removal within a year? ) . And is the leaf-in/ leaf-off a species-specific parameter that include in the database?
Jason.Henning
i-Tree Team
Posts: 340
Joined: Fri Dec 21, 2012 7:45 am

Re: How does i-Tree Eco simulate leaf area fluctuation in leaf-in/ leaf-off season ?

Post by Jason.Henning » Tue Apr 23, 2019 11:02 am

Thanks for your question.
The leaf on/off parameter is a location specific parameter. For any location a user can select in i-Tree Eco the underlying database has average leaf-on and leaf-off days. In the US these dates were estimated based on frost free days while in other countries they may be provided by local experts or through the i-Tree Database platform. You can view the impacts of the selected dates by reviewing some of the “Pollution and Weather” reports for a project within i-Tree Eco reports. Some of those reports show daily values and the attenuation of things like air pollution removal or transpiration with leaf-off. The transition to leaf-off is not instantaneous. Leaf area is reduced over a period of time. Please see equation 1 in this publication for the model used to estimate daily leaf area, https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/201 ... hi_001.pdf. Additionally, although i-Tree Eco is not using species specific leaf on/off dates it does account for the mix of deciduous and evergreen trees as estimated from the species data a user provides.
Thanks,
Jason
A member of the i-Tree Team
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