Measuring tree heights

[Giles Hill]

Does anyone use measuring devices for tree heights and can you recommend a particular one?

[Mick Stockbridge]

Probably a bit coarse for some of you hitech types,in the forces for range finding you halve it halve again,estimate whats left and times by four.

[welwell]

Get a straight stick long enough so that if you hold it at arms length out in front of you the tip/end just touches your nose. Then hold the stick up/vertical(once again at arms length in front of you) and walk backwards or forwards until the tree in the backgroung looks as tall as the stick you are holding. When that happens stop where you are put the stick in the ground. The distance from the stick (in the ground) to the base of the tree in the same as its height. Can be surprisingly accurate!!!!

Or you could buy a clinometer from Honey bros. The stick is a lot cheaper and there's never a shortage of them.

[Giles Hill]

I currently do the 'stand back and estimate method', but often the heights I come up with are very different to those shown on survey drawings - I'd like to check some of the taller ones a bit more accurately.

 

I like the 'half it' idea though and I'll use that instead of what I currently do, which is along the lines of visually dividing the tree into 2 or 4m increments...

[Giles Hill]

Get a straight stick long enough so that if you hold it at arms length out in front of you the tip/end just touches your nose. Then hold the stick up/vertical(once again at arms length in front of you) and walk backwards or forwards until the tree in the backgroung looks as tall as the stick you are holding. When that happens stop where you are put the stick in the ground. The distance from the stick (in the ground) to the base of the tree in the same as its height. Can be surprisingly accurate!!!!

Or you could buy a clinometer from Honey bros. The stick is a lot cheaper and there's never a shortage of them.

 

I'd never got to grips with the stick method, but that's a very clear description and I'll give it a go - the only trouble is when you have a tall tree in a confined space... Do the clinometers get around this problem?

[welwell]

Don't know

[Nick Waring]

you still have to stand a certain distance away from the tree with the clinometers, think it was something like 15/20 meters. well thats what i had to do using them at college.

[Paul Smith]

the Clinometer uses the 3,4,5 triangulation method 3 been the distance from the tree, 4 been the height and 5 been the distance where you stand to the top.

 

Similar methods have been used in sailing for centuries.

 

Don't know if I explained it to well!?

[Mick Stockbridge]

Dont bovver! just stand in the garden wiv the customer suck throo ya teeff n say"She,s a WHOPPA" Then charge wot ya like. Only joking

[Giles Hill]

the Clinometer uses the 3,4,5 triangulation method 3 been the distance from the tree, 4 been the height and 5 been the distance where you stand to the top.

 

Similar methods have been used in sailing for centuries.

 

Don't know if I explained it to well!?

 

I wonder how that compares to the distance you need to get from the tree for the stick method.

 

I guess it depends on how long your arms are.

 

 

Thanks for the replies.