Tree ID Apps
Audubon Trees: $4.99, iPad/iPhone/Android
The Audubon Society is known for its high quality and photo-heavy nature guides, and this tree care app is pretty much the mobile version of the tree guide. On the plus side it does have thousands of detailed, high-res photos of the tree, fruit, bark, and twigs of most species, so it can be useful for helping determine which tree you are standing in front of. It has a Boolean-style ‘search’ function where you give it info on the characteristics you see and it tells you what trees fit that description. Additionally, it has a feature where you can add ‘sightings’ of tree species you have seen. It will add a journal entry and geo-tag the location on a map for you, but do note that this feature requires GPS, so if you do not have the 3G connection, you cannot use the app unless you’re connected to Wi-Fi.
On the downside, it is a $5 app but considering the book runs $15 – $20 it is a fair price. The photo library is a little inconsistent as far as having all the diagnostic photos for every tree species, especially the more obscure ones where having more images would be most useful, but the photos it does have tend to look gorgeous. If you have the book already, this app doesn’t add much other than a pretty mobile interface but if you ever need to show a tree photo to a client to help them understand something or just prove to them their maple is a Norway and not a sugar as they insist, this can be a handy app.
Content provided courtesy of Brandon M. Gallagher Watson who is the director of communications for Rainbow Treecare Scientific Advancements. He is also a certified arborist, non-certified home brewer, and certifiable mobile technology geek.