That tree ID app got one wrong, cost me a bid in Tacoma

I used a plant ID app to label a bigleaf maple on a job estimate last month, but it was actually a red alder and the client called me out on it. Has anyone else had a phone app steer them wrong on a species, or do you always double check with a field guide?

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barbara4291mo ago

Skip the apps and bring a pocket field guide, phone pics fool you every time.

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logansullivan1mo ago

this is the same thing that happened with maps and people losing the ability to just know where they are. every time we hand off a skill to a screen we get a little worse at it and we don't even notice until the phone dies or the service cuts out. a field guide makes you actually look at the leaf shape and the stem and all that, while the app just spits out an answer and your brain checks out lol. same deal with people who can't do simple math without a calculator or remember a single phone number anymore. we're trading real knowledge for convenience and most folks don't care until they're stuck somewhere with no bars.

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