Measuring with lasers

[Ral]

Looking at the various photographs posted on these pages and the dense stands of various species of trees, I really respect anyone who attempts to measure them with a laser, hand held or tripod mounted. I use a Nikon Forestry Pro adapted, couldn't justify a really expensive laser, which I know the limitations of but attempting to make anything of dense stands of trees is near impossible at times. https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/gbr/ ... dcwmcelli/ This is a stand of Douglas Fir, superbly symmetrical, beautiful trees and tall that I came across last spring and which I was and I am still excited about as the location in a sheltered valley in West Wales is superb and I suspect they could be challenging for the tallest tree in the UK title. I couldn't make anything of them properly, I couldn't find a clean window in anywhere to a base and tip, the density of the trees, young trees underneath and ground vegetation. How you measure the Redwoods 300 feet plus with ground vegetation and in tight stands.


https://www.monumentaltrees.com/en/gbr/ ... urechurch/

Just for interest, I have certainly now appreciated the drawbacks of the Nikon lasers, specifically the wide, diverging laser beam which makes working in tight situations with undergrowth difficult and in the above link is the solution that I have come up with. A filed tap washer fitted in the laser aperture which is easily removable and definitely cuts the width of the beam down and makes the laser more consistant, accurate. The drawback, with the tap washer fitted the range of the laser beam is significantly reduced (the small aperture in the tap washer cuts down the returning laser beams that the receiver is able to pick up) so you cannot do test measurements from 100 metres plus to see if trees are worth taking a better look at for instance. 50-60 metres is the general maximum range that the laser will work from with the washer fitted which is generally enough for our trees over here in the UK