My group will be going out to re-inventory permanent plots in a simple random sample project for the 3rd time. I had a question on the use of the tree status codes in i-Tree eco. What is the protocol for the using the status codes If a tree was previously removed when we visited the plot during year 2 inventory. Do I have to re-inventory this tree again (during the 3rd year inventory) and say it was removed using the same codes we already used in year 2? Or do I just ignore this tree and only look for new trees and/or removed trees between the year 2 and year 3 inventory?
Or does the answer to this question depend on the overall purpose of the inventory? like if you want to know differences between year 1 vs year 3 data or if you are only interested in looking at year 2 vs year 3 data?
i-Tree Eco tree status codes
Moderators: i-Tree Support, i-Tree Team
Re: i-Tree Eco tree status codes
The removed or other re-inventory status codes (R, H, L, C) are currently not operable in Eco v5 or Eco v6 beta. You will be limited to entering status codes in the Eco interface as (P, I or U) Planted, Ingrown or Unknown. The re-inventory codes concept was to developed to allow Eco users to create a copy of their original or earlier project, and carrying over or migrating a copy of their old tree & plot data to be updated accordingly. The re-inventory project option was planned for Eco v6 integration but has not been implemented yet in the most recent beta release, although instructions for use of the associated status codes are in the manuals. I can't predict on a time line for integration and availability of that function for users and would not plan on it for your current project.
In short, Eco is limited to treating projects as individual assessments in time and change comparison between assessments would need to be done external of the application. For users interested in comparing project change in more detail beyond the model estimate comparisons, we suggest keeping track of removed trees separately. Perhaps, this could be done by using or modifying spreadsheets of earlier analyses if available. You can note in the current Eco project comments that trees were removed from a plot from a previous assessment and a reason for removal if known such as land conversion (status C). This information may be useful in the future for internal analysis or comparisons. Additionally, it may be possible to later add or integrate the removed trees into the project manually when it is later migrated into a future Eco version where it is operable.
In short, Eco is limited to treating projects as individual assessments in time and change comparison between assessments would need to be done external of the application. For users interested in comparing project change in more detail beyond the model estimate comparisons, we suggest keeping track of removed trees separately. Perhaps, this could be done by using or modifying spreadsheets of earlier analyses if available. You can note in the current Eco project comments that trees were removed from a plot from a previous assessment and a reason for removal if known such as land conversion (status C). This information may be useful in the future for internal analysis or comparisons. Additionally, it may be possible to later add or integrate the removed trees into the project manually when it is later migrated into a future Eco version where it is operable.
A member of the i-Tree Team