If you’re felling trees, you’ll want to know how tall they are. No One like a tree falling smack dab in the middle of their car or campsite! So you will need to take some measurements to ensure that this doesn't happen! But how do you measure the height of a tree without climbing up to the top with a tape measure?

Here are a few traditional tricks used by lumberjacks and scouts to estimate the height of trees and other tall objects like canyon cliffs and waterfalls.

The Felling Method 

• Back far enough away from the object you’re measuring that you can see both the top and the bottom of it. Hold a stick upright at arm’s length, ensuring the top of the stick appears to touch the top of the object. 
• Rotate your arm 90 degrees so it’s lined up with the horizon, simulating that the object has fallen, hence the term “felling.”
• Have your buddy stand at the point where it looks to you like the tip of the stick ends. Place a marker there, like a stone or another stick. 
• Pace the distance between the marker and the base of the object to estimate its height.

The Stick Method 

This method requires a relatively flat ground to get a good estimation.

• Find a stick the length of your arm.
• Hold your arm out straight with the stick pointing straight up (90-degree angle to your outstretched arm).
• Walk backward until you see the tip of the stick line up with the top of the tree. Your feet are now at approximately the same distance from the tree as it is high.

Shadow Method

• Measure the shadow cast by the tree (from the base of the tree to the shadow of its top) and label this length as AB.
• Measure the shadow cast by someone or an object of known height. Label this length as CD.
• Calculate the height of the tree with the following formula (AB x the height of your body)/CD = ~ object’s height.

These are just a few of the ways that this can be accomplished. What other ways do you know?

 

 

 

 

 

Source: The Art Of Manliness