OFFMEN International

Call me odd, weird or just plain silly, but I found this vaguely interesting.....


How to Measure the Height of a Tree

On September 7, 2006 the San Francisco Chronicle reported that researchers had just discovered a 378 foot (113 metres) tree that is probably the world's tallest living tree. If you think you can find a tree that can break that record, or just want to measure that tree in your backyard, try these techniques. These methods can also give you a good approximation of the heights not only of trees, but also of telephone poles, buildings, magic beanstalks—pretty much anything tall.
Steps
Shadow Method
Know your exact height in the shoes you will be wearing to perform this method.
Stand next to the tree or the object to be measured. For best results, do this method on a bright, sunny day. If the sky is overcast, it may be difficult to tell exactly where the shadow’s tip is
Measure the length of your shadow. Use a tape measure or yardstick to measure your shadow from your feet to the tip of your shadow. If you don’t have someone to assist you, you can mark the end of the shadow by tossing a rock onto it while you’re standing. Or better yet, place the rock anywhere on the ground, and then position yourself so the tip of your shadow is at the rock; then measure from where you're standing to the rock.

Measure the length of the tree’s shadow. Use your measuring tape to determine the length of the tree’s shadow from the base of the tree to the tip of the shadow. This works best if the ground all along the shadow is fairly level; if the tree is on a slope, for example, your measurement won’t be very accurate. You want to do this as quickly as possible after measuring your shadow, since the sun’s position in the sky (and hence the shadow length) is slowly but constantly changing. If you have an assistant you can hold one end of the measuring tape while he or she measures the tree’s shadow, and then you can immediately measure your shadow.
Calculate the tree’s height by using the proportion of your shadow’s length to your height. Since you know the length of the tree’s shadow, and you also know that a certain height (your height) produces a certain shadow length (the length of your shadow), you can determine the tree’s height with a little math. Multiply the length of the tree’s shadow by your height, and then divide the resulting number by the length of your shadow. For example, if you are 5 feet tall, your shadow is 8 feet long, and the tree’s shadow is 100 feet long, the height of the tree is (100 x 5) / 8 = 62.5 feet. Note that the order of your multiplication does not matter.