Measuring Tree Height Without A Tape Measure

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This is a great skill to have when you want to estimate the height of a tree or anything else that is a bit taller than a standard tape measure. You will not need any tape measures, range finders, or any other fancy piece of equipment. All you need is a little understanding of geometry and a stick from your yard.
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[@heymrjazzman]

My dad was a landscape architect and he used the same principle using his hand and extending his thumb and pinky as far apart as he could. He passed away 35 years ago and seeing your video brought back memories. Thank you.

[@andrewc6385]

Wow. This is so cool. Thanks for explaining why too, made perfect sense after seeing it explained

[@timhallas4275]

DON'T DO IT. This way is not even close to accurate.

[@donnsunderland2684]

Saw Mr. Wizard (Don Herbert) do exactly that on TV many decades ago. Never forgot it and have used it several times.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

👍👍

[@cakekomo]

I remember learning this in Geometry class back in high school! Was a fun day outside for a change.

[@Bob_Adkins]

Another very easy way is to measure the tree's shadow, then measure the shadow of a yardstick. If the yardstick shadow is 1 foot and the tree shadow is 10 feet, then the tree is 30 feet tall. You can substitute any stick of a known length.

[@geraldcarr7230]

Very cool who was it that went from Egypt and back to Greece to come really close to the earth's circumference? 4-500 years ago. Pathagerus.

[@georgerobartes2008]

Don't work in England , it rains too much !

[@Bob_Adkins]

@@georgerobartes2008 Hahahh, true! But either method will get you wet!

[@michaels3003]

@@geraldcarr7230 , Pythagoras in English.

[@guermeisterdoodlebug7980]

Old forester here (me, not the booze). It’s a hypsometer-a device used to measure heights. The “original” was a ruled stick known as a Biltmore Stick. Other sophisticated ocular devices used by foresters, e.g. Spiegel Relaskop, work on the same geometric principle (but cost far more than a stick), but they had several other functions, too. Biltmore Stick was also used to estimate diameters. If you get good enough at these practices you might decide to call yourself a mensurationist.

[@geraldcarr7230]

Used one in highschool FFA forestry class

[@Chris-fo8wp]

It's called The Biltmore Stick because the US Forest Service started at The Biltmore Estate.

[@guermeisterdoodlebug7980]

@@Chris-fo8wp yep

[@freedwagner7212]

Your kidding me right? How simple no device needed No .math.

[@guermeisterdoodlebug7980]

@@freedwagner7212 No, I wasn’t kidding and I can’t even make sense of your comment. I can assure you, though, that geometry is involved in any of these methods. One need only to learn using the instrument. The heavy lifting math has been done and incorporated for you. If you’re a hobbyist and only want a gross estimate of tree height a stick is all you need. If sampling to make inferences involving $millions, a higher level of precision is advisable. Consider that the stick is not useful for selecting samples, measuring %slope, etc. All that said, the stick is fun and useful, probably yielding better estimates than you might get with no device - no kidding.

[@rrcaniglia]

Very clear. In the Army, we were taught how to do the same thing using a compass to estimate horizontal distances. Take an azimuth across the obstacle. March at 90 degrees until another azimuth is 45 degrees different from your original cross-river sighting. The stick ‘inclinometer’ is the brilliant piece in your method.

[@jpeterman57]

Ah the old Boy Scout trick. Handy knowledge working towards a merit badge and used to be in the Scout Handbook.

[@jjrusy7438]

i made a little gadget to estimate where the top of a tree would fall. i attached a tube to a small square of plywood at 45 degrees, then attached a hanging weight to the plywood, over a vertical line so i could use that as a plumb level and hold the tube at exactly 45 degrees. i step to where i can see the top of the tree through the tube looking up, then i do a 180 and look down at the ground through the tube. that spot is where the top of the tree will land. this has enabled me to drop trees in tricky places with tight clearance in the yard. amazingly accurate to probably +/- 1-2 feet. also, no numbers or math needed

[@freedwagner7212]

Another scientist. Step back from tree hold a stick at arms length. Mark on stick height. Rotate stick horizontal . Need I say more ,mathematician?

[@timhallas4275]

jj rusy You did it right. I guess you didn't sleep through math class like Freed Wagner did.

[@timhallas4275]

@@freedwagner7212 I can't wait to see your neighbor's video on KZbin, called "My idiot neighbor broke his own house."

[@jjrusy7438]

@@timhallas4275 haha, thanks. what freed typed didnt even make sense, so i didnt even respond. my gadget took about 5 minutes to make from scraps.

[@stewartfraser2740]

What @freedwagner7212 says makes perfect sense, you just fail to understand it. If you take your Biltmore or yardstick clenched in your fist, raising your arm in front of you stand at the tree and walk backwards with the stick held upright, the base of the tree level with the top of your fist. Keep walking backwards until the top of the tree is level with the top of your stick, then stop. Rotate the stick through 90 degrees so it's level with the ground then direct somebody to stand where it touches. Then measure how far they are from the tree. You are simply creating a right angled triangle where two sides are the same length.

[@randymarkley5634]

Nice! I’d seen this many years ago but had forgotten the steps. Thank!

[@davidrobbins8087]

As a retired land surveyor, I always come up with ways to do things like this. I like the story of the Greek mathematician Eratosthenes who in 240 BCE, not only proved that the earth was a sphere, but very accurately measured its radius. There was a deep well, where on one day of the year, the sun would shine straight down to the bottom. From that well, he measured several hundred miles due north. There he measured and erected a pole. On that day when the sun would shine down to the bottom of the well, he measured the shadow of the pole. Then he did the math. It wasn’t until modern times that the earth’s radius was more accurately measured.

[@DanielinLaTuna]

The well was in Egypt

[@markschattefor6997]

@@DanielinLaTuna In those days Egypt wasn't even invented.

[@DanielinLaTuna]

@@markschattefor6997 Ha! How little you know. The Egyptian dynasties go back to 3100BC. Eratosthenes lived in the seat of the Ptolemaic dynasty (305-30BC), Alexandria, and was appointed chief librarian of the library of Alexandria by King Ptolemy III. It was there Eratosthenes heard about a famous well in the Egyptian city of Swenet (now known as Aswan), on the Nile River. At noon one day each year - the summer solstice - the Sun’s rays shone straight down into the deep pit. They illuminated only the water at the bottom, not the sides of the well as on other days, proving that the Sun was directly overhead. Eratosthenes erected a pole in Alexandria, and on the summer solstice he observed that it cast a shadow, proving that the Sun was not directly overhead but slightly south. Recognizing the curvature of the Earth and knowing the distance between the two cities enabled Eratosthenes to calculate the planet’s circumference. And that is how a Greek living in Egypt calculated the circumference of the Earth

[@markschattefor6997]

@@DanielinLaTuna Was it called Egypt back in the day??? Don't think so.

[@DanielinLaTuna]

@@markschattefor6997 , whether as a vassal state under Persia, or Greece, or a Roman province, or under self-rule, Egypt has always been Egypt. Look up Marc Anthony’s lover and political ally Cleopatra… she was what? Bingo, Queen of Egypt

[@catblue6393]

👍🏻 Your computer demonstration with visual aids was helpful to me. Thank you.

[@macster1457]

I've done this and works great. I fell a few 50-60 ft pine trees.

[@TheByard]

I was taught this method in Boy Scouts back in the mid 1950s, I used in the army cadets a bit later on. We had to cut a rusted in place flag pole down and the instructor wanted to know where the top would land. Of course he knew how tall the pole was, he just wanted us to use our heads and fathom it out. I was 3" out but on the safe side. I went into construction and used the method often.

[@rickyshultz2051]

In a cutting class years ago they gave us a little square plastic card with two pins through it . One pin was the notch the other was the top of the tree , it had a foot graph chart for tree height. It came in handy several times and was super easy to use .

[@roberthesse157]

I've used this method cutting trees down in the yard so I knew where the top of the tree is going to land. When you're not sure if it might hit a building this is a pretty accurate way to avoid falling a tree on your house. To be on the safe side I make sure I have 8 to 10 extra feet before I cut.

[@bikeny]

Nevermind measure twice cut once, I'd go with measure like 4 times then cut.

[@geraldcarr7230]

Climb-limb- top works real good

[@billheckman5937]

Always blows my mind when someone shares centuries old technology and folks cannot believe how simple it is. I have amazed 20-40 year olds by easily moving 1000 lb objects with a large lever and really amaze them with what I can lift with a piece of rope and a series of pulleys. It's really pretty sad when you think about it. Maybe that's why my grandkids love to come to my house.

[@teatowel11]

New pups need old tricks as much as old dogs need bew tricks. The former seem to do a better job of learning.

[@NewLife-qj9mx]

I always taught my kids " never forget the power of leverage " 👍

[@tiedryflies]

Learned this principle in the Boy Scouts when I was about 10 years old. Have used it many times since, I'm 74.

[@bruceross6628]

Love it, another one to consider is if you outstretched your arm and hold your thumb vertical and sight from one side of your thumb to the other side is two degrees, handy when sailing. CHEERS

[@jimf710]

Where were you in 1982 when I was taking geometry?? Great idea and even better graphics to drive the point home.

[@gtdude2883]

Awesome explanation on how it works.

[@stevethomas5849]

fanbloodytasic calculation. On a similar note , I am an electrician from the UK. When pulling out cables and measuring the length we use our bodies as tape measures. This is how it's done, looking to your chest the right nipple to the tip of your fingers on your stretch out left arm is 1 metre or 3' 3". Try it measure it 39 inches.

[@davidlyons7238]

Thanks that's amazing. I have trees I've been curious about there height I'm going to try this. Thank you.

[@DanielinLaTuna]

I knew from geometry class that this method would work. What I hadn’t realized is that knowing your stride length would literally make this a tool-less technique (no tape measure required).

[@TheFunnyCarpenter]

That was awesome!

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Thanks Ryan!

[@timjohnson1199]

I learned this in the Boy Scouts over 50 years ago. The Scouts were all about commonsense solutions and self sufficiency.

[@krillansavillan]

I'm really happy I clicked this video. Good knowledge

[@geckoproductions4128]

Very clever. Haven't thought about right triangles since about the 5th grade.

[@tedebayer1]

Several centuries ago, a similar technique was applied to try and calculate the distance to the sun, using the moon. Early calculations proved very close for the moons distance through basic trig.

[@geraldcarr7230]

I think I confused an old story about the circumference of the earth.

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

Interesting. I’ll try this in the morning.

[@antonytye3484]

Folded 90 corner of paper gives 45 degrees, preferably a square bit of paper. Look along the edge towards to top above the 90 degree angle, along the hypotenuse, and move back to when the tip corresponds with the top. The distance from there to the trunk is its height of the tree (pythageros theory on right angled triangles in basic form). The tree and the ground are the opposite and the adjacent of a right angled triangle, you are looking along the hypotenuse. Pretty similar I know

[@b5maddog]

This was fun and interesting. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

You bet 👍

[@dandricchikote4483]

I had forgotten this 'Geometry trick' from 10th grade back in '75. Fun reminder... definitely hated memorizing all those theorems though. 🙂

[@abpccpba]

My 65-year-old Boy Scout Handbook has a similar technique; it takes two willing Scouts and one thumb.

[@jaysonbohnert6373]

Thanks, man! When you started walking backwards I realized "Oh, crap. That's a perfect 45 degrees" and it clicked.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Exactly 👍

[@davidmiller8967]

I like measuring the length of the tree's shadow, then measure the length of the shadow cast by a vertical yard stick and do the math. Works best closer to noon when the shadow's are shorter although the longer shadows are more accurate.

[@donmueller2318]

Good when a nice bright sunny day, not so good for a cloudy one.

[@lonniechartrand]

You can eliminate the "B" equation by simply BACKING UP until the BASE OF THE TREE lines up with the stick at the BASE OF YOUR HAND and the top of the stick lining up with the top of the tree. This skips that "extra step" of adding the distance from arm to ground.

[@danielreyes1084]

If you use the formula E=mc2 it also works. Ive always use this formula it never fails.

[@ironseabeelost1140]

Beats the heck of my way, geometry from multipule known points. Thanks.😁

[@kenpeters9807]

I learned this in the boy scouts at 12 years old. We used a very short stick or a pencil. Have a person stand by the tree. Measure the height of the person. Then mark the stick. Continuously lift the stick on top of its prior placement and then you have the basis to compute lets say the person was5’ in height. Holding your arm out you measured exactly 6 iterations. Therefore, 30 feet. Adjust your calculations for fractions. Much easier than this method. But both work.

[@TheByard]

Hey I commented the same, my Scout Group was on the outskirts of North London, UK. We were also a drum & bugle band and had use of a field next door to camp in. Great days.

[@kenpeters9807]

@@TheByard We had a great scout troop and explorer post too. We were in Baltimore, Maryland - when it was a great city! We had access to hundreds of acres for wilderness camping in the rural areas. Besides regular scouting, I was part of our troop’s/post’s Civil Defense Ready Unit (light duty rescue/search & rescue, and first aid). We also had a color guard and did various events and amateur sports events. I joined the scouts in the very early 1960s. I’m 74 years old now and living in Florida. Great to hear from you. I owe much to the boy scouts. It’s a shame what has happened to our formerly great cities.

[@tcmtech7515]

Out here in the upper midwest, we just wait until a good windy day and then measure them while they are laying over.

[@ruatoomey9107]

Every day is a school day. Best example ever for me

[@cranegantry868]

Two isosceles triangles. The small one you are holding. As your triangle is x feet from the tree, that is the height, but you must add the height of your arm (the base of your triangle).

[@mefirst4266]

WOW I LEARNED THIS IN AG CLASS BUT FORGOT HOW TO DO IT !!! THANKS MAN

[@joebledsoe257]

Simple everyday trig works well.

[@weekendhomeprojects]

EHR the science guy!! Cool trick, thanks for sharing.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

I was an Engineer by training 😁

[@tretre1692]

I love the outdoors/landscape videos!

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Thanks for the feedback, I enjoy them as well just makes for a little more maneuvering to get reasonable audio 👍

[@charliestales5504]

Our Boy Scout Handbook illustrated this same method in the 1950s and it is a rather accurate method of estimating the height of a tree.

[@richardthomas1566]

The level of your eye parallel to your arm is where you made your error . You stick needs to be the distance of your arm plus the distance from your eye to you are about another 8 “

[@dath283]

I did a math lesson in my middle school class very similar using a digital camera. Have a person stand next to the tree at the trunk. Take a picture so that the top of the tree is at the top of the photo. I now have 3 data points and can calculate the 4th. The height of the person and the height of the person's image, the height of the image of the tree. Using cross multiply and divide I can find the height of the actual tree. (Ratio)

[@hassanbazzi3545]

Very smart and interesting. Thank you for sharing

[@jefff6167]

You’re an excellent teacher ❤️

[@sammyday3341]

Great explanation! Thank you.

[@donotwantahandle1111]

Another way is to estimate the (angle) to the top of the tree (use a protractor) and the height is {[(distance to tree) times tan(angle) ] plus height from ground to your eye}.

[@jamieminton172]

I like the stick trick. I have always used a baby protractor with a string and fishing weight as a plum bob, Sometimes I'll use my field/pocket compass setting the rose/bearing bezel to 90 degrees and sight on the 45 edge. I wear size 12 boots and that is handy too.

[@ronb6182]

That's over 12 inches outside measure a size 10 tennis shoe is 12 inches outside measure. Now if you take your boot off your foot is 12 inches. I just measured my shoe it's a tad over 12 inches I guess because it's a 10.5 shoe. 73

[@brianwarner308]

i seen this in Men's Health magazine but I never tried it…I'm glad it's legit

[@lurchor1734]

Read about this technique in the Boy Scout manual/book some 65 years ago.

[@rickgilbert6316]

A Logger told me years ago to backup from tree till you can see the tip top and that is how tall it is basically what you doing without a stick

[@ruthdanielson919]

Nice. Thank you for making me use my brain!

[@jppanet6092]

Thank you, very clear !

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

You bet!

[@rev.leonidasw.smiley6300]

Ever use a reliskop? As a timber “marker,” we used a reliskop for an accurate estimate of how many millable logs in a tree.

[@samsen3965]

Thank you. Loved it very much.

[@davebashford3753]

So when you were drawing that out and it became obvious that your eye *did not* line up with the desired 45 degree triangle, did you consider fixing the procedure or figuring out how much error that introduced? It turns out that the sighting angle is closer to 36 degrees and you should have significantly underestimated the height by roughly 25%.

[@HisboiLRoi]

Actually, the lower sighting angle would put him further from the tree, resulting in an overestimation. But, there was other slop as well. He was on an uphill slope, and his stride was 3.16' rather than the 3 feet he used, so there was some underestimation there. His stick length measurement was short as well, resulting in further underestimation (note that when he flips the stick from horizontal to vertical the point of contact with his hand (which is his distance marker) moves about 2" further away from his eye. In this case the over and under estimations canceled each other out. It doesn't always work out that neatly.

[@steve5231941]

Thanks ! 👍

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

You bet!

[@davidray6762]

This method was shown in the original book 'Scouting for Boys' by Baden-Powell in the early 1900's. Every boy scout should know this.

[@terryweller2412]

Learned that in Boy Scouts in the 50s.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Nice!

[@terrybunch5256]

I use a speed square held to my eye level looking up to the top of the tree. Also following the angle down to the ground is about two more steps. If you added that into your method you would find your right on the money.

[@benzun9600]

Scouts use to do that back in the day when I was in it

[@brian1204]

Nicely done! We (can) use our high school math more often and in more ways than we think!

[@lissataylor12345]

Fantastic information.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

Thx!

[@Physicsnerd1]

Another method: 1. Measure your distance from the tree (d). 2. Use your cell phones level and site down the edge of the cell to the top of the tree and measure the angle (A) (angle of elevation). 3. The height (h) is h = d * tan(A). Plug d * tan(A) into your calculator. 4. The height of the tree is d * tan(A) + the height of your eyeball (for most it is ~5.5 ft.). **This assumes, at your distance from the tree, your feet are at the same level as the base of the tree.

[@robertjackson1407]

Thank you 😊

[@VSLComputers]

Well done!

[@SpadeCaller]

When you said that your favorite pastime was climbing trees, I'm in.

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

💯

[@richardlilley6274]

Thank you for sharing

[@umchoyka]

Your error could be covered off by adding the radius of the tree to your calculation. So, pretty darn good estimate!

[@MrFitness94]

Cool old school trick. Have you tried the “measure” app on your iphone (or equivalent) to see if it would work in this application?

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

I didn't try it on this application but often use the measurement App to get a quick read on bedroom dimensions. In the past I have found it hard to pinpoint the top of the tree accurately with things like the measurement App. Side Note: Magic Plan uses the iPhone capabilities and does pretty awesome for floor plans. I use it on most my projects.

[@davidwayneprins]

I remember one time on Mr Wizard (remember that science show for kids on Nickelodeon?) they showed how to measure a tree's height with a pan of water. It used the triangle concept as well, albeit a bit differently. From what I remember, you put the pan such that the top of the tree was reflected in the water when you stood on the opposite side of the pan at a distance equal to the height of your eyes. You then measured from the reflection to the base of the tree to get the height. That method was a heck of a lot more work than your version. I did use it once to measure a monster blue spruce that stood in my parents' front yard. Was around 52 feet. A few years later, they had that tree cut down and the tree trimmer estimated it at 59 feet. (I do not remember how he estimated the height)

[@richardthomas1566]

Placing a mark at 5 ft off the ground than just taking a picture with your I phone way more accurate . Just use the multiples of five to get the height of the tree

[@twain3074]

cripes, you don't even need the math. site the height of the tree (or object) with a stick; lay the stick horizontally to determine a point and pace the distance from the base to the point. we were taught that in Boy Scouts 60 years ago.

[@alexstrings]

I like this guy.

[@jppanet6092]

Thank You very cleat !

[@JasonUmphress]

What manner of sorcery is this!? 😂

[@EverydayHomeRepairs]

😂

[@robertjoseph1592]

Mysterious method called geometry. Used to be taught in all U.S. public schools before it was dropped in favor of critical race theory and gender studies.

[@doogiemcdougster6740]

Very clever!

[@louayk1870]

Great method. I guess the small error is the additional distance between the shoulder and the eyes.

[@thomasschwarting5108]

I like that. Cool thing!! Geometry and trigonometry who woulda thunk it?

[@TheVideoGameVault]

That is pretty cool!

[@glowheat4469]

Good to know, thanks.

[@TomCee53]

So many ways this a poor estimate. I’m actually surprised that you came very close at all. Unless you are very unusual, all of the “measurements” that you used are likely off by a noticeable factor, best guess 10%. Arm length, how level is your arm, stride length, how far above your shoulder is your eye, how tall you are. Just be aware that this is just a rough estimate. You likely could not tell the difference between 25 and 30 feet tall. The geometry is sound, but your assumptions were flawed. But then I’m a mathematician and engineer, and a 3/8 bolt won’t fit a 5/16 nut.

[@radamest2]

EXCELLENT! Thank you!

[@michaelguthrie2344]

Thankyou this useful in many situations. PS a new skill you could try is metric😁. Your audience is bigger than USA

[@REDNECKCHANNEL]

GOOD ONE!

[@kitchenratt]

Good to know!!

[@WowRixter]

Who knew? That's so 😎

[@Bitingyouintheeye]

If you know your own height, and measure it out on the ground from your feet, and when the shadow you cast hits your height mark on the ground, measure the shadow of the tree. That’s it height.

[@ahjohnson3720]

I know an easier method. Standing about that same distance from the tree take a tape measure and with your arms outstretched hold one end of the tape measure sighting the bottom of the tree and check the distance marking at the top of the tree. Keeping your arm distance and holding the bottom of the tape measure at the same location rotate the tape measure to the horizontal position and note where the distance marking from the top of the tape measure now appears on the landscape. Note or have someone mark that location and then physically measure from the bottom of the tree to the previously noted or marked location of the end of the tape measure.

[@TheInsaneShecklador]

Except the vid title clearly says "without a tape measure."

[@ahjohnson3720]

@@TheInsaneShecklador I'm not sure what your point is. I said an "easier method" not one without a tape measure.

[@TheInsaneShecklador]

@@ahjohnson3720 The whole premise of the vid is how to estimate the height of a tree without a tape measure. If this video was about how to start a fire without matches wouldn't it seem a bit weird for someone to say "Hey I have an easier way, use matches." FWIW the way you are describing measuring a tree is nearly the exact way I learned to do it in Boy Scouts but, we used a stick instead of a tape measure. After turning the stick down to horizontal we would have one of the other kids walk to the end of the stick counting the distance with their known stride lengths.

[@ahjohnson3720]

@@TheInsaneShecklador So, are you saying it's wrong to show people how to get an accurate measurement without going through all the calculations shown in the video? In other words, an alternate method? I still don't see why you made a point of the title of the video. That has nothing to do with showing an alternate version. I guess with the way you think he should not have proved his method by climbing up in the tree and actually using a tape measure. You did see him use a tape measure, didn't you?

[@TheInsaneShecklador]

@@ahjohnson3720 My instinct is to believe common sense would say that when a video is labeled as being *specifically* about "How to do ***** without a ____" it means _*_without_*_ using a ____ not "Hey here's an easier way. Use ____." We could go back and forth butting heads on this forever. I've never been accused of being smart so you are probably correct and I'm completely wrong. It was dumb of me to even comment in the first place. Sorry about that.

[@ZachDC]

Some numb-brains binge-watch TV shows -- I binge-watch YOUR videos! Nothing annoys me more than learning, AFTER THE FACT, I could have done it myself because EVERYDAY HOME REPAIRS convinced me I could

[@andiestwo5]

Thats amazing!

[@shawnr771]

Cool thanks.

[@krumba100]

Ingenious!