Tree volume measurement
Tree volume is one of many parameters that are measured to document the size of individual trees. Tree volume measurements serve a variety of purposes, some economic, some scientific, and some for sporting competitions. Measurements may include just the volume of the trunk, or the volume of the trunk and the branches depending on the detail needed and the sophistication of the measurement methodology.
Other commonly used parameters, outlined in Tree measurement, include the height, girth, and crown spread. Additional details on the methodology of Tree height measurement, Tree girth measurement, and Tree crown measurement are presented in the links herein. Volume measurements can be achieved via tree climbers making direct measurements or through remote methods. In each method, the tree is subdivided into smaller sections, the dimensions of each section are measured and the corresponding volume calculated. The section volumes are then totaled to determine the overall volume of the tree or part of the tree being modeled. In general most sections are treated as frustums of a cone, paraboloid, or neiloid, where the diameter at each end and the length of each section is determined to calculate volume. Direct measurements are obtained by a tree climber who uses a tape to measure the girth at each end of a segment along with its length. Ground-based methods use optical and electronic surveying equipment to remotely measure the end diameters and the length of each section.
The largest trees in the world by volume are all giant sequoias in King’s Canyon National Park. They have been previously reported by trunk volume as: General Sherman at 52,508 cubic feet (1,486.9 m3); General Grant at 46,608 cubic feet (1,319.8 m3); and President at 45,148 cubic feet (1,278.4 m3). The largest non-giant sequoia tree currently standing, Lost Monarch, is, at 42,500 cubic feet (1,203.5 m3), larger than all but the top five largest living giant sequoias. The Lost Monarch is a Coast Redwood (Sequoia sempervirens) tree in Northern California that is 26 feet (7.9 m) in diameter at breast height (with multiple stems included), and 320 feet (98 m) in height. In 2012 a team of researchers led by Stephen Sillett did a detailed mapping of the branches of the President tree and calculated the volume of the branches to be 9,000 cubic feet (250 m3). This would raise the total volume for the President from 45,000 cubic feet to 54,000 cubic feet (1,500m3) surpassing the volume of the General Grant Tree. It should be noted the branch volume of the General Grant and General Sherman Trees have yet to be measured in this detail.
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