To Create a KMZ overlay
1. In Google Earth, zoom in on a dead roadside tree and click the 'show ruler' icon at the top of the page.
2. Select the circle tab in the pop up box.
3. Click the center of the dead tree you want to mark and move the cursor to size the circle. Click a second time to fix the circle size.
4. Click 'Save' in the pop up box. That opens a new box where you can set the properties of your circle.
5. Click the 'Style, Color' tab. The default color is red and the default line width is 2.0. Use these settings for trees that have only been spotted via Google Earth.
6. Click the red color square to choose a different color.
7. Set the color to purple (two squares below the red default) and line width to 10 for a confirmed (you have personally seen it), large dead tree.
8. You can name each circle if you want, but I let them all default to 'circle measure'.
9. Click OK to close the new path properties box.
Once you have created all of your circles for the current session (Google Earth puts them under Temporary Places in the Places pane in the left column),
10. Click on Temporary Places to highlight it. DO NOT collapse Temporary Places by clicking on the triangle or it will not save all of your circles.
11. In the main menu at the top, click on File/Save/Save Place As
12. Name your file using this format; State_CountyDeadAsh.kmz. Example for Cass County Michigna is MI_CassCountyDeadAsh.kmz
13. Make sure you know where the file is being saved (mine defaults to the Documents folder on 'This Computer') and click Save.
Subsequent sessions to add to or modify your file
1. Click File/Open on the Google main menu. This will open a file finder box.
2. Locate the file you saved and double click it or highlight it and click 'Open'.
Adding new circles
Add new circles as above, but when re-saving the file you must make sure the new circles are in the same list as the others. Google Earth puts them under Temporary Places.
1. Click the triangle by your file name to collapse your original circles into the folder.
2. Highlight all of the new circles you created in this session and drag and drop them on your file name. That puts them in your file with the original circles.
3. Click the triangle by your file name again to expand the tree. If you don't do this, the circles will not be saved. The boxes should all be checked.
4. Highlight your file name and do a File/Save/Save Place As and click Save.
5. You will get a pop up that asks if you want to replace the existing file with that name. Click Yes.
Modify existing circle properties
Right click the circle on the map and click properties. You should only need to do this when you have physically verified the existence of a tree and need to change the color to purple.
Circle color definitions are described on the Home Page in the numbered list.
If you create an overlay for your county...
Email the file to me at LRGoodger *at* gmail *dot* com and I will add it to the file list at the bottom of the site, and thank you very much for trying to help save lives on our roads!