Symbolizing Trees in ArcGIS: Randomly Varying the Tree Symbol Size
…from the ESRI Mapping Center blog…
“On large scale maps, you will often see that the symbols used to represent trees are all one size. As we know from our own real-world experience, tree crowns (i.e., the tops of trees formed by their leaves and branches) are different sizes, so a more realistic representation would be to vary the tree symbol size slightly to account for this natural variation.
“Although we know that the height, trunk diameter, and crown diameter all vary depending on the amount of sunlight and water a tree gets, what age it is, and where it is planted (to name a few variables), what if none of this information is available to create variation in your tree symbols? What can you do in ArcMap to at least show cartographically varying crown sizes for your symbolized trees? This blog entry describes a method to symbolize trees using point symbols that give the impression of varied tree crown sizes.”
