Diameter Measurements of the Upper Parts of Trees Using an Ultra-Telephoto Digital Photography System

Abstract

We develop a new technique to measure the exact upper diameters of trees that is comparatively simple and inexpensive. We can measure the diameters of entire tree trunks efficiently and with high precision. The system uses a digital camera with a ~15 - 30× telephoto lens to take a photograph that can be used for measuring the diameter of the upper part of a comparatively slender tree trunk. Since this method requires a measuring distance and the height of the target point in the image, a range finder capable of measuring angles was combined with the main digiscoping system. A range finder sensor uses a laser and makes a 360 degree angle of observation possible.