i-Tree tools: what each one does and what the funding notices say
The i-Tree suite is a set of free tree benefit and canopy tools from the USDA Forest Service and partners. This page lists each tool by what the i-Tree site says it does, and gives the funding notices with their dates.
Checked against the sources at the bottom of this page on October 9, 2026. Rules, fees and pay change: the source has the last word.
This page describes software as its own site describes it. It does not rate the tools or say which one a project needs. The funding page asks users to give clear attribution, with an i-Tree logo.
What i-Tree is
The i-Tree About page calls the suite peer-reviewed software from the USDA Forest Service for urban and rural forestry analysis and benefits assessment. It says the tools quantify forest structure and the environmental and economic benefits trees provide, and that the tools are free. The first release of the tools was in August 2006. The About page names the Forest Service, a tree care company, the Arbor Day Foundation, the Urban and Community Forestry Society, the International Society of Arboriculture and Casey Trees as partners in a cooperative partnership to develop, share and support the suite. The overview of free learning sources is on the free learning library page.
The tools, grouped as the Tools page groups them
| Group | Tool | What the Tools page says it does |
|---|---|---|
| Individual trees | MyTree | Shows the benefits of individual trees in minutes; described as the easiest tool |
| Individual trees | i-Tree Design | Web tool with building interactions and forecasting for the benefits of individual trees |
| Individual trees | i-Tree Eco | Evaluates an existing tree inventory or new field data to derive individual tree benefit estimates; needs a Windows computer |
| Tree canopy area | OurTrees | Fast facts about the trees in a community plus US Census information |
| Tree canopy area | i-Tree Landscape | Tree canopy and Census information to identify priority planting and protection areas, with map layers and data tables |
| Tree canopy area | i-Tree Canopy | Estimates land cover and tree canopy from random point sampling on aerial imagery, and compares two projects to monitor canopy change |
| Planting | i-Tree Planting | Models the benefits of a planting project into the future |
| Planting | i-Tree Species | Guidance on choosing trees to maximize their benefits |
| Planting | i-Tree Stormwater | Runoff quantity and quality benefits of a planting project over time |
| Planting | MyTreeMap | A demonstration of collective mapping of planting efforts; the page says it will be improved and brought back if funding is secured |
What i-Tree Eco lists
The Eco page says version 6 uses field data from single trees, complete inventories or randomly located plots, with local hourly air pollution and weather data, to quantify forest structure, environmental effects and value to communities. Its list of outputs includes pollution removal and health impacts, carbon sequestration and storage, hydrology effects, building energy effects, tree bio-emissions, ultraviolet radiation effects, species condition and distribution, leaf area and biomass, species importance values, diversity indices, pest risk analysis and cost-benefit analysis. It says Eco has two project types: a complete inventory, typically used for smaller public areas or private properties, and a sample inventory based on random plots when a study area is too large to inventory fully. Forecasting options cover tree planting inputs, extreme event impacts for weather and pests, and annual mortality adjustments.
Funding notices, by date
- December 5, 2025: the i-Tree funding page says the cooperative agreement between the Forest Service and its tree care company partner, which typically funds delivery of i-Tree, has been indefinitely halted by a new Forest Service information technology policy. It says the tools would not immediately disappear but data updates, maintenance and technical support would be affected.
- February 23, 2026: the page says continued availability, development and support are funded entirely by grants for specific projects, that outreach events were not being held, and that the team commits to at least six months of warning before any core tool is taken offline.
- May 15, 2026: the page says one-time funding from the California Department of Forestry (CAL FIRE) and from the Forest Service International Programs and Trade team brought back monthly office hours and the usual level of user support, while the lapse in funds for hosting and maintenance continues.
The tool pages carry a banner repeating that traditional funding has been halted. The notices are on the i-Tree funding status page.
Where each page lives
Everything above is on the i-Tree tools page, the About page and the Eco page. The related guide on tree inventories covers the data these tools take in.