You might find it interesting to compare your results using this simple method with the standard methods described below.
The distance between your feet and the tree is roughly equivalent to the height of the tree. Carefully walk backwards until the top of the tree lines up with the top of your stick. The stick is held pointing straight up, at 90 degrees to your outstretched, straight arm. The stick must be the same length as your arm or grasped at a point where the length of the stick above your hand equals that of your arm. It just requires a stick and a distance measuring tape. This old but simple method only works on level ground. The stick method- how they built the pyramids! This equipment hastens the measurement process, but it is not necessary. Today Foresters use a Hypsometer – an all in one tool that measures distance, angles and even calculates tree height for you. See Gabriel Hemery’s helpful instructions on using iHandy Carpenter to measure tree height. Here are two possible options: Smart Measure and iHandy Carpenter. If purchasing an inclinometer (Abney level, clinometer, etc.) is beyond your budget, or you can’t borrow one, there are mobile phone apps that allow you to use a smartphone as an inclinometer. You only need three pieces of equipment to properly measure a tree: a measuring tape, a calculator (with cosine and tangent functions), and an inclinometer to measure angles.