Every year at around this time I wander around the property measuring the heights of select trees, to see how much each has grown. Here’s a post about this last year.

Once again, the incremental growth throughout the year becomes more obvious when compared with measured heights from the previous year.

Here’s my spreadsheet recording the heights (in inches); I’ve added columns to also indicate the change from the previous year, e.g. the “18 ▸ 19 Δ” column shows the number of inches of growth between 2018 and 2019:

This year I used a new tool to measure the heights of trees taller than I can reach with the tape measure. Using this simple tool, I can stand near the tree to be measured, look at the top of the tree through the two sight rings, and use the mirror to see the bubble level, then measure the distance from the tree to myself, and add the height from the ground to my eyes. This gives the height of the tree:

As I recorded each measurement (in the spreadsheet on my iPad), I took a picture of each tree, as a visual record. This time, I thought I’d post all of the photos. They are in the same order as the spreadsheet, above.

No doubt this is only of interest to me, but maybe others might enjoy seeing other areas of the homestead that I don’t normally show with the more common animal-focused posts. (There is a bonus glimpse of the ducks in one picture, though!)

A new addition to the measurements this year, the Monkey Puzzle tree (by our bedroom closet). I wish I had measured it before, though I couldn’t until I got the new tool; I think it’s tripled in size since we’ve been here. It’s also the only tree being measured that we didn’t plant:

Coral bark maple (by front of shop):

Dogwood by pool (by dog yard NW corner):

October Glory red maple (by dog yard SW corner):

Field Leyland SE1 (nearest flagpole):

Field Leyland SE3 (east of road gate):

Field Leyland SE4 (west of road gate):

Field Leyland SW (corner):

Field Leyland NW (corner):

Field fir outside gate (to N property):

Field Leyland NE/tall (last tall going E):

Field Leyland NE (by wooden pole for old fence):

Field dawn redwood (second row):

Field tulip (replacement) (second row):

Field scarlet willow (second row):

Field Leyland feature (second row):

Field apple NE (4th from S); a rather sad specimen, broken by deer and elk, but hanging on:

Field apple NW (4th from S):

Field oak (replacement) (“Thorin 2”, center of field):

Behind white gazebo fir (N of gazebo):

Behind pond fir (middle between orchard & pond), with bonus ducks:

Next to stream fir (next to pond stream):

Weeping willow (beyond pond, by cat graveyard):

Apple honey crisp (next to old coop):

Apple gala (next to old coop):

Apple braeburn (next to old coop):

Sweet gum in flowerbeds (replacement tree, center of central path):

Weeping cherry (in fountain garden):

That’s it!