If you have tall trees in your yard, you’re probably (and rightly!) proud of their impressive height. Trees lend grandeur to your yard and the taller they are, the more striking their effect on your landscape design.
Use this simple stick method for measuring your tree
They also lend value to your property, with studies showing that healthy, mature trees increase your property’s value by about 7%.
You can get a pretty accurate estimate of the height of your tree using only a stick and a measuring tape. Best of all, you don’t have to climb a ladder! So even if you’re afraid of heights, your tree’s height can be safely calculated while firmly on the ground.
The stick method requires level ground, so this trick will not work if your trees are growing on a slope. But if your yard is mostly level, you can use the method we describe below to accurately estimate your tree’s height.
Find a stick
If you have tall trees in your yard, you probably have no shortage of sticks to choose from! Find (or cut) a stick that reaches from your palm to your cheekbone when your arm is fully extended horizontally, directly in front of you.
You can always break a stick to make it the correct length, or mark the stick at the correct height if you can’t find one to suit.
When you find the right stick, hold the stick with your fingers and thumb directly out in front of you straight-up, vertically.
Walk with the stick held in front of you
Depending on where you’re standing, either way towards the tree or away from the tree until the top of the tree visually aligns with the top of the stick, and the bottom of the tree visually aligns with the bottom of the stick. This is done by quickly glancing your eye beyond the bottom and top points of the stick and tree until you are at the right distance from the tree base. With practice you can get within less than a yard of accuracy for a 80’ tree.
Measure the distance
When you have aligned the stick as described, mark the place where you are standing. Then, using the tape measure, calculate the distance from the base of the tree to the place you marked on the ground.
The figure you measure is the approximate height of the tree.
Why it works
The stick method works in measuring a tree’s height because it replicates a basic premise of geometry: equal triangles have lengths of sides that are proportional to each other.
When you use the stick method, you are creating a triangle between you, the top of the tree, and the bottom of the tree. The length between the bottom of the tree and you will be the same as the height between the bottom of the tree and the top of the tree.
You can also measure your tree’s height by looking between your legs upside down, comparing shadows, and even using a bucket of water. Details available in the download here.
Get an accurate tree measurement from the experts
If you use the stick method to measure your tree’s height, you’re in good company. This method is several thousand years old and was used in the construction of Egypt’s pyramids.
But if you’re looking for a more modern method of measuring your tree’s height, call our team.
We might not have been measuring trees for thousands of years, but we’ve been doing it for over fifteen years, and we know a thing or two about calculating your tree’s height to ensure it is healthy and safe.
Get in touch today and we’ll schedule a time to assess your tall, majestic trees.
