Summary
Municipal tree diagnostics often begin with broad field inspections across an entire zone. ONF Vegetis / Arbre Conseil© uses greehill’s qualified inventory, high-definition imagery, and digital twins to make that process more targeted. Trees showing signs of physiological or mechanical concern can be identified first, allowing expert time to be focused on where it matters most.
The Challenge
Expert arboricultural diagnostics are essential—but time in the field is limited. As David explains, when ONF Vegetis receives assignments, teams often diagnose trees “without distinction” across physiological and mechanical conditions. That can dilute expert attention across many trees that do not require immediate intervention, while increasing the effort needed to find and verify the trees that do.
“Today, when we have assignments, we diagnose all the trees without distinction in their physiological and mechanical condition.”
— David Chevet, National Product Manager, Arbre Conseil© (ONF Vegetis)
The Approach
ONF Vegetis / Arbre Conseil© brings expert arboricultural judgment to the trees that need it most. Using greehill’s qualified inventory, high-definition imagery, and digital twins, their team can review large tree populations remotely, identify visible signs of concern, and arrive on site with a clearer understanding of where expert diagnosis is required.
1) Start with a qualified inventory
greehill provides a standardized inventory at scale, with high-definition imagery and digital twins for each tree. This gives ONF Vegetis / Arbre Conseil© a clear visual baseline before fieldwork begins, making it possible to review conditions remotely and identify where expert attention may be needed.
2) Desk-based triage
From the office, ONF Vegetis can observe visible indicators of physiological condition and part of the mechanical condition using images and digital twins then identify trees that warrant deeper inspection.
“Thanks to the greehill solution… which can inventory a very large number of trees, it allows us afterward to qualify a more in-depth diagnosis of trees that seem deficient.” — David Chevet
3) Targeted on-site inspection for confirmation and cause of tree defect
Remote review does not replace expert fieldwork rather; it concentrates on it. The expert focuses field visits on trees showing clear signs of concern and then investigates causes and confirms mechanical/physiological status in person.
“The expert will be able to target the trees he must go and check… and look for the causes of this deficiency.” — David Chevet
In greehill Tree software using photos and the digital twin, the expert can quickly recognize physiological difficulties across the alignment. By zooming to the trunk, the expert can also detect a specific feature: an old injury that appears to have evolved into decay and a cavity something that should trigger an in-person inspection.
“Using the photos and the digital twins, we can immediately identify that this tree—and the whole alignment—shows physiological functioning difficulties.” — David Chevet
Outcomes
This workflow produces clear, practical benefits for municipal tree management, while keeping responsibilities clear (greehill = qualified inventory; ONF Vegetis = expert diagnosis).
More expert time where it matters
Instead of repeating baseline inventory work in the field, experts focus their site visits on the trees that show signs of deficiency.
“All the preliminary inventory work will no longer need to be done by the expert; I will focus only on the trees that present problems.” — David Chevet
Faster prioritization for deeper inspection
Desk-based reviews make it possible to identify trees that likely require field confirmation and investigation.
Better planning and follow-through
Teams arrive on site already informed and ready to validate conditions, understand drivers of decline, and determine the next steps.
Conclusion
ONF Vegetis / Arbre Conseil© demonstrates a more effective model for municipal tree diagnostics. Instead of asking experts to inspect every tree “without distinction,” greehill’s qualified inventory gives teams the visibility to identify concerns earlier and focus fieldwork where professional judgment is most needed.
This is the shift from broad inspection to targeted expertise: a more practical way to manage tree risk, field time, and follow-through at scale.
APPENDIX
About ONF Vegetis / Arbre Conseil©
ONF Vegetis is the ONF group’s specialist organization supporting tree and green asset management across France. Within ONF Vegetis, Arbre Conseil© is the expert capability referenced here, led here by David Chevet (National Product Manager), with a nationwide network of arboricultural professionals who carry out tree diagnostics and targeted inspections in the field.
About greehill
greehill is a technology company that developed greehill Trees—a complete, proven system that brings Smart Tree Inventory data, insights, planning, and operational execution into one platform. By combining repeatable LiDAR capture, high-definition imagery, and AI analysis, greehill delivers a qualified tree inventory and digital twin of the urban forest, enabling teams to compare trees consistently, prioritize inspections and maintenance, and plan work with defensible, up-to-date information. Data and insights for communities move from reactive response to proactive, scalable urban tree management.
