Measuring The Height Of A Tree 🌲 With A Stick #shorts

Simple little trick to estimate the height of trees on your property

[WhydoIneedahandleagain]

(Math nerd here) it’s trigonometry. You’re creating a right triangle with your arm, the stick, and your line of sight becomes the hypotenuse. That equal lengths of your arm and the stick puts the line of sight at ~45° and the opposite will always equal the adjacent. Love it.

[dongivens]

Take the stick, plant it in the ground as straight as possible, measure the height of stick, measure the length of the shadow, now measure the length of the tree’s shadow, you are now presented with an incomplete ratio. Do the math and get an exact measurement…

[Wheresmy]

Okay, what's the actual height of the tree? I wanna know how close that estimate was.

[harrw]

I have a better way to measure: The angle of the dangle equals the heat of the meat.

[EnlightenedSavage]

Just measure the shadow of the tree and then the shadow of a known object like a yardstick or meter stick. A little trig is worth a lot.

[Wheelingoffthewrench]

Just match the visual of the stick to the tree. Rotate stick parallel with ground. The tip of the stick will match to where it would fall or just measure from base to that point

[jkdad]

And to prove he was correct. He cut the tree down and measured it - lol

[curtw]

Similar method but easier taught in Boy Scouts. Line the stick with the base of the tree and the top. Rotate 90 degrees down and see where the tip lands on the ground, then measure that.

[LessThanHandy]

Just get a stick the same height as the tree then measure the stick...🤣

[Aphazel]

Actually all you need is a pen. Do the same thing, only have someone stand against the tree. Once you're lined up, turn the pen parallel to the ground and have the person walk until they are lined up with the top of the pen. Measure the distance between the person and the tree and you will have it's height. In a nutshell, you are creating an equilateral right angle.

[johnh]

You could use a peice of cardboard a protractor a string and a fishing weight to get a near perfect estimate. You go back 30 feet take and angle measurement on the card board by attaching the string with the weight to it. Get the board to eye level look up the board to the top of the tree. The string will show the angle of deflection. Mark it and measure that angle with your protractor. You now have the adjacent length of a right triangle and the angle between the adjacent and the hypotonuse. You can plug that into a right triangle calculator to get the right angke side length. You then add the height of your eye level to that number and boom a near perfect height estimate. You have to add your height back because it is taken out by the fact that you arent laying on the ground.

[RonInNapa]

You don't add your own height. You add the height of your shoulder. This technique only works on flat ground.

[consaka]

Just use the simple rules of geometry. Get an isosceles triangle. The long side is 45 degrees. Sight up the 45 degrees as you back up, or you can guess. When that 45 degree angle is sighting the top of the tree with the triangle on the ground. Then just measure from the triangle to the tree. I use this method every time I cut trees down where space is a concern.

[SparkitusMaximus]

I’d just chop down tree then use measuring tape

[royrodgers]

Imagine being this guys neighbor. “Mom!Jim’s outside with his measuring stick again”

[petebart]

His measurements will be short his sride is longer than 3 feet

[billyk]

Have you attempted to verify or check your technique for accuracy against a tree you took down? If so, how accurate were you?

[navret]

So much for never needing geometry after you leave school. Okay, kids, pay attention.

[RobotLegJim]

When I was a newbie/new guy working with an amazing arborist 40+ years ago, he taught me this method.

The next time one of you loses your phone with measurement apps, and I can walk over to a hedge, & snap off a stick, I can make you say “WHOA!….
Word of advice;
When you ask yourself “Could this tree reach that house/barn/garage/my truck?!?”

Add 15’.

Don’t ask me how I learned this (some fells, “take a hop”.)

[jeromegrunwald]

I used to use a stick when trimming trees to see where a branch would swing when I cut it.