Free tree planting calculator: enter area, spacing, layout, survival rate, and cost per tree to get trees, order quantity, cost, and carbon per year.
Your results will appear here.
Enter your values and press Calculate.
Pick your currency, enter the area in acres, the spacing between trees in a row and between rows, and choose a square or triangular layout. Add an edge margin for boundaries, buildings, and access, enter the survival rate you expect, and the cost per tree including sapling and labour. The calculator treats the plot as a square of the same area, works out how many rows and trees per row fit inside the margins, applies the triangular factor when chosen, adds a replant buffer from the survival rate, and estimates total cost and yearly carbon for mature trees. Carbon figures are planning estimates only: young trees absorb far less, and real sequestration varies by species, age, and climate.
One acre holds 43,560 square feet, so trees per acre on a square grid are 43,560 divided by tree spacing times row spacing. At 20 by 20 feet that is 108.9 trees per acre. This calculator goes further than a per acre figure: it turns your total area into a square plot of the same area, subtracts an edge margin from every side, then counts whole rows and whole trees per row, adding one for the first row and the first tree in each row. That row counting is the number you actually plant, and it is usually a little lower than the pure area division, because the edges of a real plot do not hold partial trees.
This tree spacing formula works in acres, and the per hectare figure is the per acre figure times 2.471, since one hectare equals 2.471 acres. A layout planner that gives trees needed for a plot should always state whether it counts whole rows, as this calculator does, or divides area by spacing, which overstates the count at the edges.
On a square grid, trees sit in straight rows and columns, which is simple to mark out and easy to mow or harvest between. On a triangular, or staggered, layout, each row is offset so trees sit in the gaps of the row before, which fits about 15.47 percent more trees into the same area at the same spacing: the factor is 2 divided by the square root of 3, about 1.1547. Triangular planting also closes the canopy sooner, which shades out weeds faster, but marking it out takes more care and machinery access between rows is tighter. If you plan to drive between rows, keep the square grid; if you want maximum density for a windbreak or a privacy screen, choose triangular.
A rectangular grid is the square layout with equal or unequal row and tree spacing. The ideal distance between two trees is the mature canopy width of the species, and planting two trees closer than that guarantees thinning later.
Measure or estimate the area in acres first, then decide spacing from what the trees will become, not what the saplings look like today. A fruit tree that will spread 20 feet needs 20 foot spacing, even if the sapling is only 3 feet tall. Enter row spacing separately, because orchards often use wider rows than in-row spacing for machinery. Set an edge margin of at least 10 feet from boundaries, buildings, and roads, and more near power lines or neighbours' fences. Press Calculate, then check the rows and trees per row figures: if the rows look wrong, the spacing or the margin is usually the mistake, not the area.
An orchard spacing calculator is the same tool with fruit tree spacings: apples often suit 10 to 15 feet, while large nut trees need 30 feet or more. If you are asking how many trees can I plant on my farm, start from the plantable area after margins, not the total farm area, because tracks, buildings, and wet ground are not plantable. At 10x10 spacing the per acre figure is 435.6 trees, but the row count after margins will be a little lower.
Trees planted hard against a boundary cause disputes, shade a neighbour's garden, and drop leaves and roots where they are not wanted, so the edge margin is not wasted land, it is insurance. Survival rate turns the planting count into an order quantity: if 529 trees fit and you expect 85 percent to survive, you order 623, because 623 times 0.85 is about 529. Typical survival is 70 to 90 percent depending on watering, protection from animals, and the first summer. Order the buffer trees with the main order, since matching stock later is harder and more expensive than planting a few spares now.
Cost per tree should include the sapling, the stake and guard if you use them, and the labour to dig, plant, and water in. This calculator multiplies that figure by the order quantity, so the total already includes the survival buffer. What it does not include is fencing, irrigation, mulching, or years of aftercare, which can exceed the planting cost on a large site. Treat the total as a planting budget to compare spacings and layouts, then add a separate line for protection and aftercare before you commit money.
The carbon figure uses 21 kilograms of carbon dioxide per mature tree per year, a commonly quoted planning average. Young trees absorb far less, and the figure only becomes realistic as the canopy matures, which takes years. Species, rainfall, soil, and whether trees are thinned or felled all change the real number, so never present this estimate as an offset certificate or a carbon credit. Use it to compare layouts: a triangular layout at the same spacing holds more trees and therefore a higher mature carbon figure, but it also costs more to plant and maintain.
Five acres, 20 foot tree spacing, 20 foot row spacing, square layout, 10 foot edge margin, 85 percent survival, 15 dollars per tree: area is 5 × 43,560 = 217,800 square feet, and the square plot side is about 466.69 feet. The plantable side is 466.69 minus 20 = 446.69 feet. Rows are floor(446.69 / 20) + 1 = 23, trees per row are also 23, so trees to plant are 529. Order quantity is 529 / 0.85 = 622.35, rounded up to 623 trees. Total cost is 623 × 15 = 9,345 dollars. Mature carbon is 529 × 21 = 11,109 kilograms, or 11.11 tonnes per year.
Divide 43,560 by tree spacing times row spacing in feet. At 20 by 20 feet that is 108.9 trees per acre, and at 10 by 10 feet it is 435.6. The calculator's row count is usually a little lower, because edge margins and whole trees per row are counted, not fractions.
Space for the mature canopy, not the sapling. Small fruit trees often suit 10 to 15 feet, large shade trees 20 to 40 feet, and windbreaks tighter spacing in staggered rows. Planting too close forces early thinning, while planting too wide wastes years of growth.
Tree spacing is the gap between trees along a row, and row spacing is the gap between rows. They can differ: orchards often use closer in-row spacing with wider rows for machinery. Both figures go into the per acre calculation.
Square is simpler to mark out and easier for machinery. Triangular, or staggered, fits about 15.47 percent more trees at the same spacing and closes canopy sooner, but marking out takes more care. Choose square for orchards with machinery, triangular for windbreaks and screens.
Margins keep trees clear of boundaries, buildings, roads, and power lines, and leave room for access and maintenance. Without a margin, the row count overstates what fits, and trees planted on the boundary cause disputes and damage as they grow.
Typically 70 to 90 percent, depending on watering, animal protection, and the first summer. This calculator turns your survival rate into an order quantity, so you plant enough trees to end with the planned count after losses.
At a mature average of about 21 kilograms per tree per year, roughly 48 mature trees offset one tonne per year. Young trees absorb far less, so the figure is a long term planning estimate, not an immediate offset.
No. The total covers saplings plus planting labour at your cost per tree, including the survival buffer. Fencing, irrigation, mulching, and years of aftercare need a separate budget line.
Use the edge margin for boundaries, and keep large trees at least their mature canopy radius from buildings, plus room for roots and falling branches. Check local rules for protected trees and power line clearances before planting.
Yes. Crowded trees compete for light, water, and nutrients, grow tall and thin, and spread disease faster. If the planned spacing is below the species' mature canopy width, expect thinning within a few years, which costs more than planting wider in the first place.