The KeyTREE ROI indicates how you can dramatically improve your working efficiency plotting trees to conform to BS5837:2005 Trees in Relation to Construction.

To work out how much faster KeyTREE is compared to creating trees manually within AutoCAD, we first compiled a spreadsheet of 10 trees and timed how quick we could translate that data into AutoCAD. Each tree was first drawn manually to comply to BS5837:2005 Trees in Relation to Construction. Secondly, the same tree information was used to create trees using KeyTREE. Finally, the spreadsheet was used to show how much quicker trees can be created using the KeyTREE import.

The Root Protection Area (RPA) for each tree was pre-calculated prior to drawing the trees manually and without this the manual creation of trees could have taken significantly longer. This is calculation is performed automatically within KeyTREE during creation and editing of trees.

A summary of each test process is offered below for information:

Creating Trees Manually

1. Create 4 layers with colours set; Canopy - Green, RPA - Red, Stem - Brown, Specification - Black
2. Set Stem as the current layer and draw a circle with a diameter to represent the stem of the tree
3. Select the canopy layer and draw four lines from the centre of the stem to represent the North, East, South and West measurements
4. Draw a closed polyline connecting the four points on the extents of the NESW cross
5. Run the PEDIT command, pick the canopy polyline and select the spline option
6. The canopy then has to be manually resized using the objects grips to stretch each of the four segments back out to the extents of the canopy cross. This is only an approximation because the limitations to the spline function do not allow you to object snap to the end points of the cross
7. Set RPA as the current layer and draw a circle from the centre of the stem with the pre-calculated RPA radius
8. Set Specification as the current later and using MTEXT enter the reference number and species name of the tree. With a polyline drawn a leader from the tree to the text
9. Repeat process for remaining 9 times
10. Copy and paste the spreadsheet to insert as a schedule in the AutoCAD drawing

Note: If subsequent changes are made to the drawing or spreadsheet each change would need to be synchronised to ensure the drawing and spreadsheet remain up to date


Creating Trees Using KeyTREE

1. Open the Add Tree dialog (Tree > Tree > add)
2. Click [Insert] and pick a point on the drawing to select the trees insertion point. The dialog will return automatically
3. Type in the pre-specified details; tree height, stem diameter, No. of stems, North, East, South, West measurements and survey reference
4. Click [Specification] and select tree species from the drop down list and click [OK]
5. Click [OK] in the main dialog to insert the tree
6. Repeat for remaining 9 trees
7. Insert a schedule from Tree > Insert Schedule. This schedule will update automatically if new trees are added or existing trees are modified

Importing Trees Using KeyTREE

1. Open KeyTREE import dialog (Tree > Import / Export > Import...). Locate and open a supported import file (.csv, .xls, .mdb or .dbf)
2. Navigate to and open the spreadsheet as an import file (.csv, .xls, .mdb or .dbf are all supported formats)
3. Associate the imported fields with the standard fields within the KeyTREE database using the drop downs. Set the units wherever necessary. Once defined, you can export this file for reuse as an import (.ktip) template file, saving even more time in the future
4. Highlight the rows you wish to import and click [OK]. If trees are imported with a specified Easting (AutoCAD X), Northing (AutoCAD Y) and Altitude(AutoCAD Z) values, the trees will automatically be inserted to their correct locations and heights. If this information is not included within the import file, you will be asked to select a point on the drawing for each tree reference to be imported
5. Insert a schedule from Tree > Insert Schedule. This schedule will update automatically if new trees are added or existing trees are modified

Time comparison



Based on the above tests, we estimate that creating trees using KeyTREE is likely to be 3.375 times faster than manually creating them using standard AutoCAD commands. This multiplier is used in our calculations for estimating the ROI although we believe these results to be conservative and weighted in favour of creating trees manually within AutoCAD.