14 DAY TRIAL // With the launch of Google Earth 6, Google added an interesting new layer to the 3D layers, three-dimensional trees in several locations were added. These breathed life into those locations and helped the cityscapes become a lot more accurate and immersive.
Since then, Google has been working in creating the tree models for other locations which are now available in Google Earth, including New York, Philadelphia, Boston, London and multiple cities in the California Bay Area.
"Since we first launched 3D trees in Google Earth 6 last November, we’ve worked to bring this experience to more cities. Today, we are happy to announce... the latest group of cities with 3D trees," Kay Chen, Geo Program Manager, wrote.
For example, a lot of 3D trees have been added to London these past few months, in preparation for the royal wedding. This way, anyone wanting to check out the sites of the royal procession and the surroundings was able to get a much more realistic picture.
"This new 3D imagery brings new perspective to your favorite historical buildings and parks. In Philadelphia we have complemented the Independence Hall model with new 3D trees in Independence National Historic Park to enhance the realism of the historic site," Google explained.
"Other examples are Delacorte Theater in New York City and the famous Emerald Necklace, a gem of Boston designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, a shared experience and memory for many people – locals and visitors alike," it added.
To check out 3D trees in Google Earth you have to enable the "Trees" layer in the 3D Buildings section. You'll then be able to see a much greener version of Google Earth, at least in the locations where these models have been added. At launch, there were 80 million trees in Google Earth. The figure far exceeds that now.