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Calcimator

Agroforestry Calculator

Design alley cropping layouts with tree row spacing, croppable area calculations, carbon sequestration estimates, and windbreak benefits.

Inputs

Results

Number of tree rows

18

Total trees1,188
Croppable alley area (acres)30.9
Croppable area (%)77.3
Tree row area (acres)5.5
Annual CO2e at maturity (tons)59.4
Cumulative CO2e to maturity (tons)594
Windbreak-protected area (acres)30.9
How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter Field size (acres), Alley width (ft), and Tree row width (ft).
  2. Set Tree spacing in row (ft), Field length (ft), and Years to maturity.
  3. Adjust CO2e/tree/yr at maturity as needed.
  4. Review the Number of tree rows result.
  5. Use Total trees and Croppable alley area (acres) to inform your decision.

How the result changes with Field size (acres)

Field size (acres)Number of tree rows
1,001471
3,5011,650
6,5003,064
9,0004,242

What each input means

Field size (acres)
Total field acreage for agroforestry conversion.
Alley width (ft)
Width of crop alleys between tree rows. Must accommodate equipment (typically 40-80 ft).
Tree row width (ft)
Width of each tree row including canopy spread allowance.
Tree spacing in row (ft)
Distance between trees within a row. Timber: 10-15 ft, nut trees: 25-40 ft.
Field length (ft)
Length of the field (tree rows run this direction). 1,320 ft = quarter mile.
Years to maturity
Years until trees reach productive maturity.
CO2e/tree/yr at maturity
Annual CO2-equivalent sequestered per mature tree. Hardwoods: 0.03-0.1 tCO2e.

What each result means

Number of tree rows
Tree rows that fit in the field at the specified spacing.
Total trees
Total number of trees to be planted.
Croppable alley area (acres)
Total area available for crop production between tree rows.
Croppable area (%)
Percentage of total field available for crops.
Tree row area (acres)
Area occupied by tree rows.
Annual CO2e at maturity (tons)
Annual carbon sequestration when trees reach maturity.
Cumulative CO2e to maturity (tons)
Total carbon sequestered during the growth period.
Windbreak-protected area (acres)
Crop area benefiting from tree windbreak effects (reduced evapotranspiration).

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Field size (acres) = 40, Alley width (ft) = 60, Tree row width (ft) = 10, Tree spacing in row (ft) = 20 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Number of tree rows
    Number of tree rows = floor(fieldWidthFt / rowPlusAlleyWidth)
    18 = 18
  3. Calculate Total trees
    Total trees = numTreeRows * treesPerRow
    1188 = 1188
  4. Calculate Croppable alley area
    Croppable alley area = (numAlleys * alleyWidthFt * fieldLengthFt) / 43560
    30.9 = 30.9

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