text: how can i find the hieght of a pine tree in my yard without using a tape measure? the tree is a pine <50y/o the tree is a pine tree in my back yard runs along a fence line and has been there as long as this house was built. tape measures won't do-it. hold a meter stick perpendicular on the ground and measure the length of the shadow (from the base of the stick) and the shadow of the tree( from the base of the tree), then compare the ratios.  so if you have a meter stick casting a 1.5 meter shadow and the shadow of the tree is 20 meters then your tree is 20 * 1.5 = 30 meters tall.