Understanding Interventions

What is an Intervention?

An intervention is any documented forestry action or activity in TreeMapper. It represents work performed at a specific location and time, such as planting trees, removing invasive species, maintaining existing forests, or conducting observations.

Every intervention contains key information including location, date, type, species involved, photos, and measurements—creating a comprehensive record of your forestry work.

Intervention Types

TreeMapper supports multiple intervention types to cover various forestry activities:

Planting Interventions

• Single Tree: Planting one tree at a specific point location
• Multi-Tree: Planting multiple trees within a defined area (polygon)
• Regeneration: Documenting natural forest regeneration or assisted regeneration efforts

Maintenance Interventions

• Maintenance: General tree care activities like pruning, watering, or mulching
• Fire Suppression: Firebreak creation or fire prevention measures
• Fencing: Installing protective barriers around planted areas

Removal Interventions

• Invasive Species Removal: Clearing non-native or harmful vegetation
• Dead Tree Removal: Removing deceased trees for safety or land management

Monitoring Interventions

• Observation: Recording observations without physical work (wildlife, disease, etc.)
• Remeasurement: Follow-up measurements to track tree growth over time

Anatomy of an Intervention

Required Fields

Every intervention must have these essential components:

• Location: GPS coordinates (point) or boundary (polygon)
• Type: The kind of intervention (planting, maintenance, etc.)
• Date: When the intervention was performed
• Project: Which project this intervention belongs to

Optional but Recommended

• Photos: Visual documentation of the intervention site
• Species: Tree species involved (especially for planting)
• Tree Count: Number of trees planted or affected
• Measurements: Height, diameter, or other dimensions
• Notes: Observations, conditions, or special circumstances
• Site: Specific location within the project

Metadata (Automatic)

TreeMapper automatically captures:

• Creator: User who recorded the intervention
• Creation Time: Exact timestamp of record creation
• Device Info: Mobile device details
• Sync Status: Whether data has been uploaded to the server
• GPS Accuracy: Precision of location data

Intervention Workflow

Point vs Polygon Interventions

Point Interventions

Best for:

• Single tree planting
• Individual tree observations
• Specific location markers

Point interventions are marked with a single GPS coordinate representing the exact location of a tree or feature.

Polygon Interventions

Best for:

• Multi-tree planting over an area
• Forest restoration zones
• Maintenance areas
• Removal projects

Polygon interventions define a boundary by walking the perimeter and recording GPS points. TreeMapper automatically calculates the area and displays it on maps.

Intervention Status

Incomplete

Interventions saved as drafts without all required information. You can return to complete them later.

Pending Sync (Unsync)

Complete interventions stored locally but not yet uploaded to the server. They'll sync automatically when internet is available.

Synced

Interventions successfully uploaded to the server. Data is backed up and visible in the web dashboard.

Sync Failed

Interventions that encountered errors during sync. Usually due to server issues or connectivity problems. You can retry syncing from the Interventions tab.

Best Practices

Accuracy

• Wait for strong GPS signal (accuracy < 10 meters) before marking locations
• Stand at the tree or center of planting area for point interventions
• Walk the actual perimeter slowly for polygon interventions

Documentation

• Take photos from multiple angles (overview, close-up, context)
• Include people or objects for scale reference
• Capture "before" and "after" photos when possible
• Add descriptive notes about site conditions

Organization

• Use consistent naming conventions for sites
• Tag interventions with relevant labels for easy filtering
• Record interventions promptly while details are fresh
• Sync data regularly to prevent loss

Common Questions

Can I edit an intervention after syncing?

Yes, but with some limitations. You can edit most fields like notes, species, and measurements. However, changing the location or intervention type may require administrator approval depending on your project settings.

What happens to interventions if I delete the app?

Synced interventions are safe on the server. Unsynced interventions will be lost unless you sync before deleting. Always sync your data before uninstalling the app or switching devices.

How many interventions can I create offline?

There's no practical limit. You can create hundreds of interventions offline, limited only by your device storage (primarily photos). Each intervention is small (~1KB of data without photos).

Related Topics

• Creating your first intervention
• Intervention creation guide
• Understanding sync and offline mode