Measuring tree height with a clinometer

[@chargingbig4317]

Nevada Land Health Assessment AIM crew checking in. This video saved our butt when our manual only had a quip on how to take tree heights with a clinometer!

[@thomaswayneward]

Cut a stick the same length of your fist to your eye. Hold the end of the stick in your fist, with the stick in the vertical position above your hand, Make the stick as plumb as possible. Site down the top of the stick with your eye, move until the sight line is hitting the top of the tree. Lay the stick at your feet, take fairly large steps from there to the base of the tree, each step is about a yard. The distance you stepped off is the height of the tree.

[@victor-th4qs]

I was a cruiser a long time. Production Cruiser.. 30 years. Using a clino or relaskop. I just used the percent side. let's say doing total height, minus stump. I would measure out a horizontal distance. Where I could see the top. Any distance. let's say it was 95 up, 5 down. I was 87 feet away from the tree, horizontally. 95 up, 5 down. 100 x .87. The tree is 87 feet tall. Using a lazer made it a lot easier.

[@fini8874]

Wait wdym, 95up, 5 down and then 100 x 0.87? Where do the .87 come from isn't there something missing in the calculation?

[@ambiance461]

Super simple, thank you. Would there be a chance to upload a video for getting LCR (live crown ratio) using the clinometer?

[@woodlandstewardship1942]

Hi Brent. Thanks for viewing the video and the suggestion for another video. At this time we do not have that video planned, but will consider it as we add future videos.

[@selomdkt1059]

Looks simple to use and interesting but how is the leveling of this device accounted for before taking readings?

[@forestrywebinars]

Through sighting the top of the tree and the base of the tree at a set distance from the tree one is measuring the elevation angles and with the use of trigonometry a height is determined. Much of the math is taken out of the height determination based on the way the instrument is designed and used. If you have a clinometer such as the one in the video you will see that the inner part of the clinometer is a wheel that freely moves as you tilt the clinometer up and down when sighting. If you hold the clinometer level it will have a reading of 0. When you sight upward it is measuring the elevation angle from level to the top of the tree. When you sight to the base of the tree, if you are higher than the base it measures the angle of elevation from level downward to the base. Based on these elevation angles and the set distance you are from the base of the tree, you are able to determine the height of the tree. I hope this helps.

[@forestknowledge]

why does nobody use trigonometry?

[@LucyLaurent12]

Does anyone know why a forestry/ag guy would come specifically to my neighbor's house and look around and then come on my property and aim a little handheld device that looks like a video game controller at my tree? As he was aiming it at the tree, he was pressing buttons. Any idea? Btw, he may have done that to my neighbor's trees as well, but they're in his yard, so I couldn't see any of that.

[@forestrywebinars]

Hi Lucy, The device he was using may have been a laser measuring tool that would record the data to the unit. To measure one would have to stand back from the tree to be able to take the measurements.

[@LucyLaurent12]

@@forestrywebinars Thanks, but I really want to know *why* he would be doing this. Also, I looked up "laser measuring tool used by foresters," but the devices that came up look nothing like what he was holding. It looked like a controller, and he did not look through it at all. He just held it and pushed buttons while aiming it at the tree. I'm just concerned why he was on my property. He parked afterwards as if writing a report.

[@fini8874]

@@LucyLaurent12 Probably to know the height? I mean its pretty important to know if you're working in ecology/forestry and need to document existing trees ...

[@NutmegThumper]

Thanks for posting. So, based on your height, if you are on level ground you would always have a negative second number. Yours was zero due to the slope. Cool.

[@forestrywebinars]

That is correct. The reading at stump height would always be a negative number if your line of sight is higher than the stump.

[@mikejustice1196]

Why ie ( toe-pa-grafit ) I know what topography is.

[@walnutcreekwoodworksofjack3520]

I want one now.

[@tzavitz]

Why 66 feet away from tree??

[@Fishofftheperc30]

That’s one pace

[@tzavitz]

@@Fishofftheperc30 you have a 66 foot pace??? That makes no sense. Is there something about 66 feet that corresponds with the height computation?

[@Fishofftheperc30]

@@tzavitz my mistake I meant to say chain

[@Forester-]

​@@tzavitz 66ft = 1 chain. A chain is a common unit of measurement used in forestry and surveying. When foresters are doing inventory plots they'll space them by chains and measure the chains by pacing. So all foresters know how many paces they take to walk 66ft. I do about 12.5 paces per chain so if I'm using a clinometer I'll simply take 12.5 paces in a straight line and then measure.

[@randomshittydepressedperso3905]

66ft is one chain, a way to measure distance