Height
Working in pairs, use tape to mark the 1-inch and 10-inch lines on a
twelve inch ruler. While one person stays by the tree, the other moves
back until the whole tree can be seen. Keep moving back until, while
holding the ruler at arm’s length, the base of the tree is a t 0 inches
and the top is at the 10-inch mark. Then, have the other partner mark a
spot on the tree that is sighted at the 1-inch mark. Measure that
distance from the ground on the tree and multiply by 10 to get the tree’s
height.
Diameter
To measure the diameter of a tree, or how big around it is, measure it
with a tape measure 4.5 from the ground. This is what forester refer to
at the “Diameter at Breast Height”, or DBH. Also, when measuring a tree,
note the distance the branches come out from the trunk. This is referred
to as the crown spread. The larger the crown spread the better the
ability of the tree to make more food and grow bigger.
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