How clutter happens.

[urbpan]

Here's a gadget that I don't need but sorely want!  It's for measuring the diameter of trees, useful for determining whether a tree can be rightfully called a champion or heritage tree.  How often would I use it?  At least once, I suppose. 

Comments

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

down in the south Pi is "3" ;) j/k

looks like it would easy enough to take a regular tape measure, and write on the back of it, various sizes, and divide by Pi; or just even a cloth style measure, which weighs nothing, and approximate in your head, or use calculator/phone or even a little wallet chart.

i suppose for a plumber, who is doing this day in and day out it might be useful.

actually, if the size is the pure limiting factor, you could make a string the right length, and trees that are bigger won't fit, and would be heritage, and lesser trees would meet or overlap and wouldn't be (and thus are edible?)

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[urbpan.livejournal.com]

The limiting factor is my utter lack of confidence in my math abilities. ;)

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

insert joke here about doing an integral (tree) with limits :)

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[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

also: vultures:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3ZtVuo5AL0

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[urbpan.livejournal.com]

A sheep shanty! Cute!

[harebell.livejournal.com]

I want one, too. I've been obsessing on the trees that I know, lately. I would like to document them.
There's a ponderosa that I really want to measure. Long ago my grandpa, a forest ranger, said it was the most beautiful specimen he had ever seen. And it really is a grand.

[iheartoothecae.livejournal.com]

But think of all the other things you could find the diameters of too!

Dogs!
People's heads!
Coffee cups!
Lamp posts!
Cigars!
Soup cans!
Flower pots!

The possibilities are endless!

[bdot.livejournal.com]

what is a heritage tree? the link doesn't go to heritage trees....

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

You have to scroll down a bit to the heritage tree part. It's a legal definition that protects a tree from being cut or molested. It varies from place to place, and not everywhere has that designation. It seems to be a popular route of protection for Canada and the PNW.

[buboniclou.livejournal.com]

A tailor's tape measure or anything like that works perfectly well! I was part of the city street tree census years back, and they just gave us one of those to measure circumferences. Plug that number into a cell phone calculator and divide by 3.14, and you're golden!

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

That's exactly what I was going to say. A tailor's tape is like 99 cents and if you're trying to impress people on nature walks, they'll be more impressed with quick math than a twenty buck gadget.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Do they make 20 foot tailor's tape?

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

for godzilla, sure.

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[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

Generally they're about ten feet. If you really need twenty feet then you can buy a second ten feet bringing it to a wopping $1.98. On the other hand, if you find a tree in New England that's more than three feet in diameter, I want to see it.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

The tree I want to measure is the last one on this post. I'll see where I can get a tailor's tape.

[brush-rat.livejournal.com]

Cool. You can get them anywhere you can by cloth. I'll gewt you the fancy one when you get to oregon where the tree just aren't messing around.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Haven't found anyone selling them over 5 ft (150 cm). Doesn't mean they don't exist, but it seems to be a specialty item.

[pipu.livejournal.com]

Joann Fabrics has a 120" tape for $1.

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

Would work for little trees (the majority of urban trees, which have an average life span of 5-10 years, as I understand it) but I'm curious about some of the big red oaks and european beeches in the parks near my house. Those tailor tapes seem to come in a standart 60 inch/150 cm length.

Plus you're expecting me to figure out how to use an app on my phone, which is worse than expecting me to do math! :P

Re: Too Cool

[urbpan.livejournal.com]

THANK YOU. Can no one understand when a guy just needs validation to buy a gadget?