imagineero
Addicted to ArboristSite
Hi All, got shown a variation of a technique I used to use to estimate tree height the other day and thought I'd pass it on for any who might find it useful.
The old way I was doing it was the 'scale then measure' technique of standing well back from the tree, holding your hand out at arms length then finding some combination or part of your hand/hands that is the same as the height of the tree (palm width, hand span, two handspans together, fist plus hand span etc) then use whatever you scaled and turn it 90 degree with one end eyed up against the base of the trunk. Find some useful landmark that lines up with the other end (plant, fence picket etc) and you now have the length of the tree on the ground so you can pace it out to get the height. Also useful if you want to know where the tree is going to land ;-) Sounds a bit complex but fast and easy. This is the way I often used to do it.
The other day someone showed me this technique. Using a tape measure, put a mark/line/piece of tape or whatever 1m above ground on the trunk. Or use whatever distance you like; 2 metres, 3 feet, 6 feet etc.
Now get a footlong/30cm ruler or a tape measure or whatever and go a good distance back from the tree, far enough so that when held at arms length the ruler is bigger than the tree. Looking at the ruler, line the '0' up with ground and measure how far it is to your mark. ideally it's say, 1cm or 2cm for the metre (substitute inches or whatever else you like). Now measure the whole tree with the ruler and scale, you have the height. So if it's 1cm per metre, then 25cm is a 25 metre tree etc. You need to keep the ruler the same distance from your eye for this to work. It's quite accurate and a good weight (with a log weight chart) to get an estimated tonnage.
If you need to be closer to the tree and the tree is then bigger than the ruler you can measure it in stages (preferred) and add it together, or move the ruler closer to your eye. It gets hard to keep the ruler at the same distance if its closer to your eye though and this effects the accuracy. It is more accurate to measure from further away because the relative distance between you and the base vs you and the tip is less.
once you've done it a couple of times it's really fast and quite accurate. A very cheap solution to estimating tree height, and if you have a bunch of trees in the same yard and you're standing roughly the same distance from all of them then you only have to put a mark on one tree - the scale will be the same for all the others. If you do this often enough, you dont even need to put a mark - just pacing the same number of paces out from a tree and using a ruler or tape measure will be pretty close.
Shaun
The old way I was doing it was the 'scale then measure' technique of standing well back from the tree, holding your hand out at arms length then finding some combination or part of your hand/hands that is the same as the height of the tree (palm width, hand span, two handspans together, fist plus hand span etc) then use whatever you scaled and turn it 90 degree with one end eyed up against the base of the trunk. Find some useful landmark that lines up with the other end (plant, fence picket etc) and you now have the length of the tree on the ground so you can pace it out to get the height. Also useful if you want to know where the tree is going to land ;-) Sounds a bit complex but fast and easy. This is the way I often used to do it.
The other day someone showed me this technique. Using a tape measure, put a mark/line/piece of tape or whatever 1m above ground on the trunk. Or use whatever distance you like; 2 metres, 3 feet, 6 feet etc.
Now get a footlong/30cm ruler or a tape measure or whatever and go a good distance back from the tree, far enough so that when held at arms length the ruler is bigger than the tree. Looking at the ruler, line the '0' up with ground and measure how far it is to your mark. ideally it's say, 1cm or 2cm for the metre (substitute inches or whatever else you like). Now measure the whole tree with the ruler and scale, you have the height. So if it's 1cm per metre, then 25cm is a 25 metre tree etc. You need to keep the ruler the same distance from your eye for this to work. It's quite accurate and a good weight (with a log weight chart) to get an estimated tonnage.
If you need to be closer to the tree and the tree is then bigger than the ruler you can measure it in stages (preferred) and add it together, or move the ruler closer to your eye. It gets hard to keep the ruler at the same distance if its closer to your eye though and this effects the accuracy. It is more accurate to measure from further away because the relative distance between you and the base vs you and the tip is less.
once you've done it a couple of times it's really fast and quite accurate. A very cheap solution to estimating tree height, and if you have a bunch of trees in the same yard and you're standing roughly the same distance from all of them then you only have to put a mark on one tree - the scale will be the same for all the others. If you do this often enough, you dont even need to put a mark - just pacing the same number of paces out from a tree and using a ruler or tape measure will be pretty close.
Shaun
then I take alook, write up the bid & when all is said & done: the company Rep didnt impress them at all.......other than the outrageous price he gave them!!!
