At Treetech, we’re passionate about leveraging technology to lead the way to a greener tomorrow. We’re incredibly excited to partner with greehill, a revolutionary digital tree management system that will make our industry smarter and more efficient.

Treetech is the exclusive NZ supplier of the greehill Smart Tree Inventory system, a state-of-the-art solution that enables urban planners to digitise their urban forest management.

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The case for innovation

City councils and urban planners are becoming increasingly aware of the benefits of a thriving urban canopy, but with thousands of trees spread across hundreds of square kilometres, tree maintenance and monitoring represents a significant time and cost.

Urban forest management is critical. Knowing the exact location, health and condition of each tree allows urban planners to:

• Identify damaged or weakened trees that may be hazardous to people or property.
• Identify diseased or unhealthy trees and begin a treatment plan.
• Maintain trees that are encroaching on power lines or traffic signs.
• Make informed decisions about new planting projects.
• Keep the urban canopy in good condition and maximise the benefits to the city.

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Currently, urban tree monitoring is carried out through manual tree surveys, where teams of arborists conduct a visual inspection of each tree. Manual surveys are effective, but far from perfect; they represent a significant cost - around $80,000 per survey - and are unable to capture precise information about evaporation, avoided runoff, and carbon sequestration. 

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An exciting new vision of urban tree management

greehill’s AI-powered monitoring solution uses remote sensing technology to replace manual surveys, revolutionising how Councils acquire, measure, and act on information about their urban forest.

greehill creates a fully digital replica of the city’s tree population, gathering data by using ground-based LiDAR and ultra-high resolution imagery. Imagine the Google Street View car, but for trees! 

Once scanning is complete, greehill creates a Smart Tree Inventory made up of 4D Digital Tree Twins, centimetre-accurate digital copies of each tree. This digital solution provides far more information than a manual survey, and allows urban planners to focus their resources where they’re most needed. 

greehill leverages the power of AI to automatically carry out species-specific bio-mechanical analysis on each tree. This provides accurate information about:

• Safety concerns, including significant lean angles and dead or broken branches.
• Tree health, including dieback and crown ratio.
• Clearance issues for power lines, roads and traffic signage.
• Ecosystem services, including carbon storage and oxygen production.

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This analysis is used to provide precise, timely Tree Insights, enabling faster maintenance and a safer, greener city. 

We’re incredibly excited about the potential of greehill to help New Zealand’s urban forests become more resilient. Get in touch to learn more about how Treetech and greehill can help to strengthen the future of your town or city.