DBH Measurement

• DBH is simply the average stem diameter outside bark at point, 1.37m above ground
• Universally adopted standard height for measuring girth, diameters and basal area of standing trees India, Burma, America, Union of South Africa and other British Colonies-1.37m
• In Europe, U.K., DBH is taken as 1.3m. It is recommended by FAO as standard

Significance of DBH

• Convenient height for takingmeasurement
• Avoids the fatigue caused unnecessarily
• Saves extra expenditure from not clearing the base
• Abnormalities ,eg. Root swell, disappear below breast-height
• Standardizes diameter measurement giving a uniform point of measurement. Diameter measurement at stump height is preferred, but standardization is lost because height of stump depends upon skill of the labor and the commercial value of the tree.