What’s in Rich’s Cruise Vest?
Some foresters have access to a digital hypsometer.
The digital hypsometer can take many of the same measurements as the clinometer and output the height, slope or distance. The upside is, a known distance is not required. An internal laser measures the distance, and the unit itself does the trigonometry and any conversions necessary.
The downside is, you need a clear sight to the tree (this can typically be anywhere on the main stem). This is so the initial laser shot can accurately measure the distance, otherwise the device will not output an accurate height or slope reading.
Once the first distance reading is taken on the main stem, you can shoot the stump then shoot your top height. The digital output is the length/height of the measured segment.
-Rich Congdon, Real Estate Specialist/Assistant Analyst
