# Judging tree height



## thuffman7121 (Nov 26, 2011)

Curious of a quick and easy way to judge a tree's height other than climbing to the top and dropping a measuring tape. Any ideas/suggestions? I have clients ask how tall I think a certain tree may be that I am going to climb for them and I usually just throw out a "educated guess." Thanks.


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## serial feller (Nov 28, 2011)

The easiest way to get a rough estimate is to use a known height. For example stand next to the tree and mark it at 6' - head height. Stand back far enough to see the entire tree from root to tip. Hold out a pencil at arms length and use it as a guide. Hold the pencil so that from your fingers to the tip of the pencil matches the 6' section you marked. Once you have done that move the pencil up to the next 6' section, and the next, and the next, adding 6' to your count each time. If the tree is 4 pencils tall then it is 24'. If it is 9 pencils tall then the tree is 54'. Not perfectly accurate but it will gey you close.

Hope this helps.


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## serial feller (Nov 28, 2011)

If you're a midget use 4' sections. :hmm3grin2orange:


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## thuffman7121 (Nov 28, 2011)

Thanks Serial Feller. Whereabouts in Southern MO are you located?


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## serial feller (Nov 28, 2011)

'Bout 15 miles NE of Springfield.


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## forestryworks (Nov 28, 2011)

Damn, get a clinometer and be done with it!


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## Grace Tree (Nov 28, 2011)

forestryworks said:


> Damn, get a clinometer and be done with it!


Exactly. You can find used Suunto's on ebay for $75.00 and below. That and a measuring wheel get pulled out on almost every job I bid.
Phil


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## ZeroJunk (Nov 28, 2011)

Why can't you just buy a cheap protractor and walk away from the base until a plumb bob shows it to be a 45% angle to the top and measure how far away from the base you are?

Just asking.


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## serial feller (Nov 28, 2011)

ZeroJunk said:


> Why can't you just buy a cheap protractor and walk away from the base until a plumb bob shows it to be a 45% angle to the top and measure how far away from the base you are?
> 
> Just asking.



Absolutely right. Why spend a bunch of money when you can do it for next to nothing. Money isn't bubbling out of anybody's pockets. The slight margin of error on the free methods does not justify the expense of fancy gadgetry in this circumstance.


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## treebutler (Nov 28, 2011)

I've always just looked at the tree in 10' increments and eyeballed it.:cyclops: I've never had a problem doing it that way. Also use roofs as reference. . oke:


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## forestryworks (Nov 28, 2011)

If a $120 clino doesn't pay for itself for ya in a few jobs (and it will), then you need to find another line of work. Why not have something that is accurate to the nearest foot?

Ingenuity is all well and good, but all that fumbling around with a protractor and a handful of pencils costs time, when instead you can shoot a top and bottom reading and do simple math and be done.

Time is money.


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## serial feller (Nov 28, 2011)

In small town MO, time is not money. Most have more time than money.


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## ZeroJunk (Nov 28, 2011)

Other than knowing where they will fall what is the need from a business standpoint to know exactly how tall they are?

Are you estimating board feet, or charging by the height?


Shows how much I know about it, I'm just a chainsaw mechanic.


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## Blakesmaster (Nov 28, 2011)

Stick trick, starts around 3:30. Doesn't give it to you in feet but you can pace it off/measure it from there to the base. Either way, a good tool to have in your kit.


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## thuffman7121 (Nov 28, 2011)

I dontreally need to know height as far as bidding goes most of the time. This is more for my and the homeowner's curiosity. Thanks for the good info. And yes serial feller, most here do have more time than money.


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## Blakesmaster (Nov 28, 2011)

Oops, forgot to put in the link. Here ya go.

murphy4trees's Channel - YouTube


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## lxt (Nov 28, 2011)

LOL, when I see rigging being done that has way more BS than needed it makes me chuckle!!, 1st off to answer the thread starter.........Nikon makes a nice laser range finder, TruPulse has a wonderful unit (the 360) that will more than be helpful, I use the TruPulse 360 myself......awesome unit & has many more uses!

Now about rigging that pine, Nice & informative for the greenhorn, Probably & purposefully overdone with all the geometric formulas.....Honestly with as much room as was present there (even with side lean) 2 ropes in the top back to 2 anchor points creating a triangle & bam, notch & drop.........many worse than that put into smaller places with alot less rigging.

I have to wonder if some people make their videos more complicated to try & impress upon some that there is more to it than what there really is? Not that it doesnt have its place......But, Keep it Simple, over complicated things in the tree biz will get you in trouble almost the same as going completely the opposite.......Like no rope & just notch & drop!

any way good vid by Murph.......Little too much emphasis on the un-necessary, but informative for the layman!





LXT.............


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## treeclimber101 (Nov 28, 2011)

lxt said:


> LOL, when I see rigging being done that has way more BS than needed it makes me chuckle!!, 1st off to answer the thread starter.........Nikon makes a nice laser range finder, TruPulse has a wonderful unit (the 360) that will more than be helpful, I use the TruPulse 360 myself......awesome unit & has many more uses!
> 
> Now about rigging that pine, Nice & informative for the greenhorn, Probably & purposefully overdone with all the geometric formulas.....Honestly with as much room as was present there (even with side lean) 2 ropes in the top back to 2 anchor points creating a triangle & bam, notch & drop.........many worse than that put into smaller places with alot less rigging.
> 
> ...



Ya know whats funny in the time he takes to set up some compound rigging I could have skinned that tree out ... I mean it is almost too much info to ignore the time aspect that it takes to explain .... Just saying, thanks though my dog loves watching you blabber


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## ozzy42 (Nov 28, 2011)

thuffman7121 said:


> Curious of a quick and easy way to judge a tree's height other than climbing to the top and dropping a measuring tape. Any ideas/suggestions? I have clients ask how tall I think a certain tree may be that I am going to climb for them and I usually just throw out a "educated guess." Thanks.



Post a pic.We will all argue about it for a week or two then get back with you.:msp_biggrin:



Seriously though. I have allways just eyeballed to a 45 degree angle and then your good to go.
If your standing in a place that the tree can not land at and have to look up more than 45degrees to see the top,you got a problem.Not very high tech ,but it as never failed me.


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## treeclimber101 (Nov 28, 2011)

ozzy42 said:


> Post a pic.We will all argue about it for a week or two then get back with you.:msp_biggrin:



I wanna argue with you about the time it will take too argue about his video LMFAO .....


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## beastmaster (Nov 29, 2011)

I have never used one of these, Tree Height Gauge : SherrillTree Tree Care Equipment but there like 15 dollars.


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## pdqdl (Nov 30, 2011)

I have a ancient survey transit, it will measure everything to a T.
I have an old brunson pocket transit. It will measure tree height very nicely.

(Both of the methods above prefer to have a tape measure and a calculator for best results.)

I have a Nikon laser range finder with built in inclinometer that really makes measuring trees easy and accurate. _I use it to measure acreage, not trees._


None of them ever get used on trees except for when I want to prove a point. If it's such a close fit that you need supreme accuracy, then you need to climb that tree and cut it off somewhere safer and higher. 45 degree measurement tricks always work fine for me, and I don't need to walk back to my vehicle to get something to measure with. At this stage, I don't need a protractor, either.


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## beastmaster (Nov 30, 2011)

I make a 45 with my thumb and index finger, when walk it off to the trunk. Always gets me in the ball park. Mostly I use the fingertractor for figuring out where the trees going to fall to.


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## defensiblespace (Dec 1, 2011)

There's a free android app called Smart Measure that claims to be able to measure a tree's height. I have it on my phone, but haven't used it yet. There are some other apps that do the same thing. I'm curious to know if anyone else has had success with any of these apps.


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## jsudsy21 (Dec 22, 2011)

Break a piece of stick. Walk a good distance away from the tree and at arms length eye ball the stick to be the same length of the tree, from the bottom to the top. With the stick and the tree looking to be the same length, rotate your arm so that the bottom of the stick stays at the bottom of the tree. See the point where the top of the stick lands, thats where the top of the tree will hit. You can mark that spot with a refrence point and walk it off back towards the tree and thats your height. Kind of confusing without pics but its about as cheap and affective as you can get. 





Lincoln Tree Removal


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## teatersroad (Dec 22, 2011)

I just imagine it's a fishin boat standing on end. typically spot on knowing the lengths of most work boats.


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## tree md (Dec 22, 2011)

The Egyptians figured out that you could measure your shadow and another object/structure's shadow at the same time of day and scale it to figure out how tall the object/structure was/is. It is how they measured the Pyramids and is also basic algebra.

Most crane service reps come out with a range finder these days to measure how far the tree is from the setup point and figure what size crane is needed. I have started carrying my Nikon 440 that I use for bow hunting when I bid crane work so I can give them an accurate measurement and save them a trip.

For general felling purposes, I just eyeball it. Up hill and down hill will trick you.


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## DanW63 (Dec 30, 2011)

serial feller said:


> If you're a midget use 4' sections. :hmm3grin2orange:



OK, this is a follow up question. If you are using the eyeball and pencil or an inclinometer, does it throw off your calculations if you Missouri ridge runners are standing with your short leg on the downhill side? Just curious how you take that into account.


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## Lumberjack2277 (Dec 30, 2011)

Here in South Alabama, we choot' our Red Ryder BB gun straight up beside the tree, and a fella' tells us if the BB reached the top, or not. If it reached the top, it's a sixty footer. "It went a little over"... means add a few feet ;-) Ok, this is only a joke. Seriously, just a joke;-) Maybe.... lol!


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## DanW63 (Dec 31, 2011)

Lumberjack2277 said:


> Here in South Alabama, we choot' our Red Ryder BB gun straight up beside the tree, and a fella' tells us if the BB reached the top, or not. If it reached the top, it's a sixty footer. "It went a little over"... means add a few feet ;-) Ok, this is only a joke. Seriously, just a joke;-) Maybe.... lol!




Well sure it's a joke. Ev'rybody knows you hafta use a Daisy BB gun....


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## MISteve (Dec 31, 2011)

Interesting subject. I use a stick,same length as distance from shoulder to palm of my hand.Hold stick upright and hand at eye level.Back away from the tree until top of stick lines up with tree top. Back up the distance of your height, and that is where it will fall. Has not failed yet, and I have seen this used for more than 35 years.


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## jrider (Dec 31, 2011)

Old Indian method: Start at the base of the tree and start walking away, making sure to count your paces. When you think you are close to where the top will land bend over and look up at the top through your legs. If the top of the tree meets your crack, thats where it will fall. And if you don't laugh reading this, maybe people watching you try it will. But in all seriousness, when nobody was watching I've done it and it works.


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## MISteve (Dec 31, 2011)

What if your pants sag like the kids wear today?


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