Clinometer Tree Height Measurement Tool

Line up the crosshair in the clinometer with the top of the tree.

Clinometer tree height measurement tool. Measuring tree height using a clinometer tree height is measured using the principle of triangulation with a clinometer. The clinometers can be purchased from many us suppliers and are easy to use. I needed to measure the height of a nearby tree that was too tall to climb. 2 measure the distance to the tree and the height that the clinometer will be from the ground.

Of all the forestry tools you will use the clinometer requires the most practice and skill. 1 tree measurement for nri grazinglands field study mike steiner and jason baker 1 18 2018 measuring tree height using a clinometer tree heights are measured using a principle called triangulation and with a device called a clinometer. With the advantage that you nearly always have one with you. This gives you the tree s.

A clinometer is basic forest inventory tool for determining merchantable and total tree heights. A clinometer can also be used to measure slope which helps in laying out road grades measuring tree heights on a slope measuring topographic relief and in preliminary surveying measurements. After the horizontal distance is acquired the angles can be measured and a tree height can be calculated. You can now scan through the dense brush until the laser captures a measurement from the reflective target.

However don t despair as it is quite possible to achieve good results with a smartphone. Tree tip can be seen. Simple clinometer for measuring tree height. Base of tree reading is 8 5 ft and top of tree reading is 27 8 ft.

Assuming that the tree grows at a right angle to the ground even on a slope we use the clinometer at 1 chain 66 feet or 19 8. Top of tree crown. 4 read the number on the percent scale. Use measure the horizontal distance from the base of a vertical tree or the position directly beneath the tree tip of a leaning tree to a location where the required point on the tree e g.

Total height is 35 5 ft. Example of height measurement with the tree base below eye level. When used correctly the suunto clinometer has an accuracy of about 0 5 m for a 20 m tall tree ie about 2 5. This example is a silver maple acer saccharinum a dendritic tree form in middle age.

These can be quite expensive to buy so you re not likely to invest in one unless you need to measure trees frequently. Place a reflector at a location on or near the tree that is directly under the top. The story goes like this. 3 look through the clinometer with one eye and at the tree with the other eye this takes a bit of getting used to.