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What is the dominant height and how is it measured?
The dominant height (in meters) required to use EucaTool® is defined as the average of the heights of the hundred thickest trees (of larger normal diameter) per hectare, which are considered dominant trees. A proportional number of dominant trees should be selected based on the stand surface, measuring their heights and making the average, but for practical purposes it would be sufficient to select a minimum of 3-4 trees nearby each sampling point that are really dominant, that is to say, those that have the largest normal diameters and that present an entire crown that dominates or outstands the rest, avoiding choosing trees located on the edges or isolated (which normally have a non-dominant height but a diameter raised by having developed without competition somewhere or in low density conditions). Measure their total height and calculate the average.
To measure the total height of a tree, you can use very different methodologies, which can be consulted in the book Dasometry Practices. A simple procedure, although less precise when it comes to trees taller than 15 m, is to use the so-called Christen hypsometric rule, following the instructions indicated therein, and for which it is necessary to have a stick or reference stick of 2 m in length.
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