Tree Value Calculator

This calculator follows the shape of the trunk formula method long used by arborists and appraisers to estimate a landscape tree's contributory value, working outward from the tree's cross-sectional trunk area rather than its height or canopy spread. Trunk Cross-Section Area comes straight from the circle-area formula applied to Trunk Diameter (DBH, diameter at breast height): area grows with the SQUARE of diameter, so a tree twice as thick has roughly four times the trunk area, not twice. Basic Value multiplies that area by Replacement Cost per Sq In — an estimate of what it costs, per square inch of trunk cross-section, to install a comparably sized replacement tree in your region.

From there, three successive multipliers scale the value down for real-world conditions: Species Rating (1-5) reflects how desirable the species is (a weak or invasive species is worth less trunk- for-trunk than a premium specimen), Condition Rating (1-5) reflects the tree's health, and Location Rating (1-5) reflects how much the tree actually contributes to the site (a focal specimen in a prime location is worth more than the same tree tucked in an unseen corner). Each rating divides by 5 to become a fraction of full value, so a tree scoring straight 5s keeps its full Basic Value while a tree scoring low on any factor is discounted proportionally. Because real tree appraisals also weigh factors this simplified model doesn't capture — trunk form defects, deprecated tables in the ISA/CTLA guide your local jurisdiction actually uses, and comparable-sales evidence — treat the Appraised Value here as a rough starting estimate for insurance claims or landscape-loss discussions, not a certified appraisal.