Adding climatic data for Australia
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Adding climatic data for Australia
I would like to apply STRATUM to Australian (Melbourne) street trees. Is it possible to add climatic data for the Melbourne region for use in STRATUM?
Adding climatic data for Australia
Hello,
Thank you for your question regarding adapting the STRATUM module for use in Melbourne. We have had much interest in using i-Tree applications in Australia and struggle with a way to accommodate that interest. Unfortunately, the STRATUM model is not as adaptable as UFORE for a project outside the States. I have copied another post which details the problems as there are numerous region specific variables required in the model. Currently, there are no plans to expand the STRATUM model for international use or to accept new modeling data.
Sorry, I couldn't provide better news.
Al
STRATUM was not intended for use outside of the United States of America because the software uses tree growth, climate and cost data based on reference cities in 19 different climate zones throughout the United States.
In order to calculate tree-related benefits for your city, for instance, STRATUM must know what species are most likely to be found in your region, how big the trees are expected to grow, how quickly they will reach mature size and what leaf area they will have. The application also uses building, energy use, land use, and climate information to calculate trees’ functionality. Unfortunately STRATUM doesn’t have these data for cities outside of the U.S. As a result, any analysis you conducted using STRATUM would lack regional field data to support it. While there is no facility for calculating error associated with trees outside the specified climate zones, a first order approximation of benefits and resource is possible. It’s up to you whether or not the results will be valid for their intended use.
Thank you for your question regarding adapting the STRATUM module for use in Melbourne. We have had much interest in using i-Tree applications in Australia and struggle with a way to accommodate that interest. Unfortunately, the STRATUM model is not as adaptable as UFORE for a project outside the States. I have copied another post which details the problems as there are numerous region specific variables required in the model. Currently, there are no plans to expand the STRATUM model for international use or to accept new modeling data.
Sorry, I couldn't provide better news.
Al
STRATUM was not intended for use outside of the United States of America because the software uses tree growth, climate and cost data based on reference cities in 19 different climate zones throughout the United States.
In order to calculate tree-related benefits for your city, for instance, STRATUM must know what species are most likely to be found in your region, how big the trees are expected to grow, how quickly they will reach mature size and what leaf area they will have. The application also uses building, energy use, land use, and climate information to calculate trees’ functionality. Unfortunately STRATUM doesn’t have these data for cities outside of the U.S. As a result, any analysis you conducted using STRATUM would lack regional field data to support it. While there is no facility for calculating error associated with trees outside the specified climate zones, a first order approximation of benefits and resource is possible. It’s up to you whether or not the results will be valid for their intended use.
A member of the i-Tree Team
Re: Adding climatic data for Australia
Hi dvanko,dvanko wrote:I would like to apply STRATUM to Australian (Melbourne) street trees. Is it possible to add climatic data for the Melbourne region for use in STRATUM?
We are trying to use itrees in Sydney and I contacted the Bureau of Meteorology to find out which US city has the closest climate to Sydney with the answer Charleston in the Coastal Plains zone. Rainfall is very similar with temps a bit higher in summer and a bit lower in winter in Charleston.
Although the tree population make-up will be different I think the overall street tree benefits data will still be useful to us.