Arbography: 2012

I have been working on a Tree Identification Database (and eventual phone app), for some time now. I have now come to the stage where the website is nearly ready for testing and the database is filling up nicely.

This is going to be (eventually) a free resource for everybody to use with maybe a small charge on a phone app depending on development costs.

Now, this is where you come in… I am looking for contributions from anybody willing to help this database expand and become a valuable tool for everyone to use. As a contributor (anyone can be one) you will get the opportunity for your trees and photos (once validated) to become part of TreeIDent (www.treeident.com), helping raise awareness for wider audiences and therefore again, becoming even more of a valuable asset.

Unfortunately it won’t be possible to just take any old photograph. Each photo (and information with it) has to follow a set of guidelines to make sure the search function works properly and churns out positive results. So, if you feel you can follow these guidelines and want to contribute to this expanding project then this is how you do so.

Photographs and Information for submittal

All photographs submitted need to be clear and sharp

The tree should be, wherever possible, confirmed with a positive ID and correct botanical name. If this isn’t possible, then this is where the photos need to be clear and sharp with all botanical features evident (they can then be identified and validated by myself).

A location of where the pictures were taken

As many pictures as possible of:-

· Form of the tree - from young to mature and beyond

· Bark - from the main stem and branches, again young and mature

· Leaves/Needles/Scales – Pictures of leaves with a representation of scale, Top of leaf, Underside of leaf, close-up of any features (like hairy vein axils) both above and below

· Petiole (leaf stalk)

· Leaf/bud arrangement on twig

· Bud - Clear close up of both lateral and terminal buds

· Winter twig

· Leaf Scar

· Fruit

· Flower/s

· Autumn colour

Not all of these features will be able to be collected in one season so the more photos collected over time, the better the eventual collection will be. There are also other unique identifying features that should be photographed but more information will be eventually available on the website as I don’t want to put any off from becoming a contributor just yet!

If you fancy the challenge, or have a bit of spare time and would like to contribute, please send your photographs and information to treeident@gmail.com. All contributors who have trees validated that eventually end up in the database will be recognised as such on the website (if they want to be recognised)

Thanks for reading and I hope to hear from some of you soon J