Wow, the one you just bought goes for $3,000 at Amazon and a couple other sites. A person would have to be a real enthusiast to justify that price, or in a business where such a tool would make life easier. A person like me who just might want to know how tall that Douglas Fir on my lot is, will have to do some geometry math or use a Biltmore stick. LOL

It sounds like you are both a enthusiast and in the business so it is well worth it for you. Thanks for showing it.

Definitely an enthusiast. That one is so accurate, that when climbers from Ascending the Giants climbed the world record pine we found last January, their tape drop to the ground was only a few millimeters different from our laser measure. Taken from an 1/8 mile, aiming for a 268' top.

So I realized that it would be near spot-on for some yard measurements for landscape design. It's some of the longer measurements where the tool would be appreciated, especially on slopes where the fence is 60 feet away and 5, 10 or 20 feet lower elevation.

When the laser is set on HD / Horizontal distance, it does not matter what angle it's held at. One merely need to aim at a trunk, post or stake, and it will display horizontal distance. It also does slope distance, which is line of sight. VD / Vertical distance is the setting where the cross hairs in the scope are pointed upward and it displays the height. Even when held at an angle. And the max range is about 1800 feet.

so wait, more details on the trees you found please! approx location and height!

For evergreens ... tallest known ...

2009 - Port Orford Cedar 266 ft.. Jedediah Smith redwoods near Crescent City, CA

2011 - Hemlock - Western Hemlock called Tsunami 271.75 ft.. Prairie Creek redwoods near Klamath, CA

2011 - Pine - 4 new world records, all Ponderosas: the tallest 268.29 ft.. West of Grants Pass, OR. Rogue River Siskiyou National Forest.

2011 - Douglas fir - 2nd, 3rd, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10, 11th, 12th, 13th 14th, 19th, 20th tallest. The 2nd tallest 323 ft. & 20th tallest 303 ft.. Most west of Roseburg, and one in Prairie Creek redwoods.

2011 - 2nd tallest known Sugar Pine 253 ft.. Same area as the Ponderosa Pines.

Another hemlock was found in the same park later 2011. 270 ft..

The Gymnosperm Database web site is a good place to read about largest examples of each conifer species.

It does not treat cultivars. For size records of those look to books by Arthur Lee Jacobson (see his web site) and Robert Van Pelt (see Amazon).

Is there not a small hand held device known as a clinometer that does this for a lot less $$$$? Also, isn't Prairie Creek in Humboldt County not Del Norte?

The clinometer does not do the same, though it does cost less. It will do one of the rangefinder functions, which is the angle. But distance to the tree is needed too. But with a few less expensive items, the calculations can be done more inexpensively, and not quite as accurately.

Maybe the Klamath River is a boundary between Del Norte and Humboldt counties, but Klamath is in Del Norte County and Prairie Creek redwoods is in Humboldt.

Yes, I know that. I live here in Humboldt County, but it appeared that you do not so I was just clarifying.

@still_kris

I wrote that Prairie Creek is near Klamath, which it is by about 5 minutes from the north end. About the same driving time as from Orick.

The north end, as a crow flies, is 4.6 miles from Klamath, and the south end 4.1 miles from Orick. The speed limit is 65 on the Klamath side, but slower, down to 35mph, on the Orick side. So there is no question that Klamath is near the park.

One more thought ... Google this ...

"historic Ah Pah trail"

You may find a page on the historic Ah Pah trail. Not the present day interpretive trail, but the old historic one. Years ago, there was a route headed north from the park for outdoors sportsmen, beginning at the old homestead, north end of the Prairie. They would take horses up the Klamath River. So the area to the north has been integrated with visitors both past and present. Likewisewise with communities to the south.

Not long ago, we found a remnant of the old historic trail in the park, which we still need to show the Redwood National Park rangers someday so they can mark it's location.

I also found the abandoned original coast highway in the park interesting too. And old fern covered roadbed hidden near the Drury Parkway.