Tree Leaves Calculator

This LAI model uses horizontal projected crown area. For the circular footprint used here, that area depends on diameter. Multiplying area by LAI gives one-sided leaf area; dividing by mean leaf area gives count. Crown height and geometry change displayed volume, which is not part of the LAI count formula.

Count = crown volume × leaf-count density. Height and the ellipsoid/cone/cylinder model therefore change count. Mean leaf area changes calculated total leaf area and derived LAI, while count stays fixed for the same volume and density. The initial 120 leaves/m³ is an illustrative assumption; it is not inferred from the LAI presets.

Yes, for the broadleaf convention used in this tool. NASA distinguishes one-sided green leaf area in broadleaf canopies from half the total needle surface area in coniferous canopies. Do not treat a broadleaf leaf-area input as a universal needle-area or needle-count model.

No. Leaf count, area and crown volume alone are insufficient for a reliable biomass or carbon estimate. Such models require additional species, mass, density and model data. This tool does not invent those outputs.

A model-based leaf count, projected crown footprint, approximate crown volume, one-sided leaf area and LAI. LAI is entered in LAI mode and derived from leaf area/footprint in density mode; neither is measured by this page.

Enter leafy crown diameter and crown height, choose an approximate crown geometry, and supply either an LAI assumption or a leaf-count density. Enter the mean one-sided area of a broadleaf leaf. Units are explicit; changing them converts the existing values.

LAI mode: count = projected footprint × LAI ÷ mean leaf area. Volume mode: count = crown volume × leaves per volume. Footprint = πD²/4; ellipsoid volume = πD²H/6, cone = πD²H/12, cylinder = πD²H/4. Use consistent units. Total one-sided leaf area = unrounded count × mean leaf area.

Different crown shapes, density assumptions, reference areas, mean leaf sizes, foliage season and rounding can change estimates. A tree-crown LAI referenced to its footprint is not automatically the same as stand LAI referenced to a larger plot with overlapping crowns or gaps.

Yes. Inputs, geometry and units update all metrics and labels. The three canopy preset cards select the LAI method with editable examples 2, 5 and 8. Volume Density keeps its own input; LAI presets are not silently treated as a measured volumetric density.

No. The foliage images are qualitative decorative illustrations; the dashed envelope shows the chosen approximate geometry. Dimension annotations describe your inputs, and the figure is not to physical scale.

Yes. Zero gives zero estimated leaves and leaf area in that model. Crown dimensions and mean leaf area must still be positive. A zero model input is not a diagnosis of tree condition.