6 Clues for Identifying Trees that Will Cause Shade Over Time

TL;DR: Tree shading has massive implications for production analysis of solar arrays. However, how do you know if a young tree will continue growing or if it is a short species? Here are six ways to tell: branch structure, leaf characteristics, canopy size, bark texture, presence of support, and proximity to construction.

Is that tree going to grow over time and block the solar array… or is it just a short species?

The answer to this question is essential for solar contractors. Without that knowledge, your production estimates (and shading analysis) could be way off.

It’s not fair to expect Surveyors to also become arborists and tree experts. However, there are some tell-tale signs whether a tree is young and growing versus a short species you don’t need to worry about.

Why identifying trees matters

Simply put: tree height over time is critical for solar shading.

If a tree’s canopy blocks a customer’s solar array, that means lower lifetime production. While a short tree might not be shading anything today, many species can grow taller than a typical home.

When you see a short tree, you need to confirm if it’s a shorter species or if it’s going to grow taller than the roof. This is critical for production estimates and shade analysis—particularly if you offer production guarantees.

Common features of young trees that will grow

As a Surveyor, it’s not your job to become a tree expert or arborist. However, being able to gut-check whether a tree will grow is a helpful piece of information to provide to Designers as they model solar production.

With that in mind, here are some common factors to look for to determine whether you’re dealing with a young tree or a small species.

These traits depend on the tree species, meaning no single characteristic will tell you whether a tree is young versus mature. Instead, look at this chart with holistic context—if a tree exhibits multiple characteristics of a young tree, for instance, it probably is.

From there, you can either confirm the species using Scanifly’s list of common dormant deciduous trees, the Nature list of common US tree species, or the Arbor Day United States Tree Database. If you’re still not sure, you can consult with a professional tree surgeon or arborist.

Understanding 6 common tree species

Dormant deciduous trees pose a particularly interesting challenge since they lose their leaves annually throughout the entire United States and much of the world.

If the tree is young and will grow, the next step is to include it in your solar production modeling (or talk with the homeowner about removing it).

4 steps to removing trees in designs (and measuring production impact)

An interesting dichotomy often presents itself in a solar project: many people want to go solar, at least partially, for environmental impact. Yet maximizing solar production might require removing trees that would otherwise shade the array.

As a result, many Contractors need to discuss tree removal with project owners. That’s why Scanifly has a feature where Designers can remove trees in a solar site plan — and understand how that will impact solar production.

It’s a simple four-step process:

Measure Trees with a Drone: Do this during the on-site survey, capturing dimensions and the current state of the tree.
Capture Site Context: Information like access points on the property, elevation, and water conservation locations.
Estimate Production in Scanifly: Mark all trees and obstructions using Scanifly’s annotation feature. Then use the occluder tool to estimate solar production after removing a tree.

Make a Removal Plan: Create a keep-out zone in Scanifly that indicates where you want to remove trees. Then you can share the plan with experts as needed (e.g. tree surgeons) to properly plan removal.

If you’re using Scanifly, you can add trees into the design context for modeling purposes. While this step might seem unnecessary, it’s critical for shading analysis and production estimates—both of which help you deliver higher quality, more confident pitch to customers. Given word of mouth is still a massive driving force in the growth of solar, ignoring this step could be perilous to company growth.

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