Have you ever wondered how can anyone measure the weight of a tree when it is stuck on the ground? Can you measure its weight without uprooting it?
This article will guide you and explore how heavy trees are, how to measure them, and the different factors affecting their weight.
How much do trees generally weigh?
Trees generally weigh between 1,000 to 2 million pounds, depending on factors like the tree’s diameter, height, and volume, among others.
For instance, an 80-foot tall tree can weigh 20,000 pounds while a 50-foot pine tree can weigh 2,000 pounds.
How much do common types of trees weigh?
Here are the most common types of trees and their weight measured in pounds.
For this table, we used green weight which pertains to the mass of a tree when it is alive. It includes the wood content and moisture inside the tree.
| Type of Tree | Green Weight (pounds) |
| Maple tree | 4,685 |
| Pine tree | 2,780 |
| Oak tree | 5,573 |
| Ironwood tree | 4,590 |
| Cottonwood tree | 4,640 |
| Apple tree | 4,850 |
| Willow tree | 4,320 |
| Elm tree | 4,456 |
| Fir tree | 3,585 |
| Red Cedar tree | 2,959 |
| Hackberry tree | 3,984 |
| Ash tree | 4,184 |
| Birch tree | 4,312 |
| Basswood tree | 4,404 |
| Hickory tree | 5,032 |
What are the factors affecting the weight of a tree?
The factors affecting the weight of a tree are height, diameter and circumference, volume, density, leaves, type of wood, and season.
Let’s now take a look at each of these factors and how they affect the weight of a tree.
Height
The height is directly correlated to the weight of the tree. The taller the tree, the more they weigh.
For instance, hardwood trees that stand 80 feet tall weigh 20,000 pounds while a 50-foot pine tree with a 12-inch diameter weighs only 2,000 pounds (907 kg).
But this rule is not absolute. There also exists shorter trees with a wider circumference (like the cypress tree at 32 pounds) that are heavier than tall trees which measure less in diameter (like a eucalyptus tree at 30 pounds).
Diameter and Circumference
The diameter of a tree is measured by the circumference of the breast height. The breast height is measured at 55 inches from the ground while the circumference is the curve length of the tree.
So, to find the diameter of the tree, wrap a tape measure around the curve length of the tree at about 55 inches from the ground.
After getting the circumference, you can now calculate using this formula:
Diameter = circumference / π (or 3.14159)
Similar to height, a tree’s diameter is directly correlated with its weight. So when its diameter increases, the tree’s weight increases, and vice versa.
The average weight of a tree with 10 to 15 inches in diameter is 45 up to 55 pounds.
Volume
Volume is also directly proportional to the weight of the tree. As it increases, the weight of a tree follows.
The volume is a key component in the formula for calculating the weight of the tree which we will discuss below.
Take note that only the volume of the trunk is measured since there is a high level of uncertainty if the volume of branches is to be calculated.
Hardwood vs. Softwood
Hardwood trees are heavier than softwood trees.
Hardwood trees usually produce thick cell walls and seeds with a coating that develops into nuts or fruits. On the other hand, softwood trees have thin cell walls and seeds that have no coating and simply drop on the floor.
Because of their differences, one can see that hardwood trees are heavier because their structure makes them denser than softwood trees.
A hardwood tree with 12 inches in diameter weighs around 1,500 pounds while one with 26 inches in diameter weighs almost three times more – 8,400 pounds.
For example, hardwood beech trees weigh 45 pounds while softwood cypress trees weigh 32 pounds.
Density
Tree density pertains to the amount or percentage of land covered by a tree. The most common way to measure tree density is through its canopy cover.
The density of the tree also affects its weight of the tree directly. As it increases, the weight increases as well.
Tree Density Chart
| Type of Tree | Density (pounds) |
| White Pine | 22 – 31 |
| White Ash | 40 – 53 |
| Red Cedar | 23 |
| Walnut | 40 – 43 |
| Sycamore | 24 – 37 |
| Sweetgum | 33 – 37 |
| Oak | 37 – 56 |
| Maple | 39 – 47 |
| Hickory | 37 – 58 |
| Dogwood | 47 |
| Cypress | 32 |
| Cottonwood | 25 |
| Chestnut | 30 |
| Birch | 42 |
| Beech | 32 – 56 |
| Aspen | 26 |
| American Redwood | 28 |
| American Elm | 35 |
Leaves
The more leaves a tree has, the heavier it becomes, and vice versa.
Here’s how to calculate the weight of leaves:
- Get a sample. Collect, count, and weigh a sample of leaves from the tree.
- Look for a benchmark. Determine the total number of leaves in the tree by searching the internet.
- Combine your data. Multiply the number of leaves in your sample by the total number that you got from the internet.
This should give you a proper estimate of the weight of leaves from your subject tree.
For instance, an average mature oak tree has around 200,000 leaves with dry leaves weight one pound. Therefore, a mature oak tree has an estimated total of 550 pounds of the total weight in leaves.
The larger the leaves, like in banana and coconut trees, the heavier the tree becomes.
The Raffia Palm (Raphia regalis) species have the largest and heaviest leaves in the world. A leaf from these tree species span up to 80 feet tall and 10 meters wide.
Season
Due to the different seasons in a year, a tree will have varying amounts of water and moisture in it. A tree will weigh less during a drought due to less water that it can absorb from the soil.
On the other hand, deciduous trees produce sugar and energy, causing them to weigh more by the end of the winter season. During fall, deciduous trees weigh less due to the loss of leaves.
How do you calculate the weight of a tree?
The formula for calculating the weight of a tree is:
Weight of a tree = ( density x volume ) + weight of leaves.
Here’s a step-by-step guide:
- Measure the diameter by getting the circumference at the breast height or 55 inches above the ground.
- Measure the height of the tree.
- Find the volume and density of the tree.
- Multiply density by the volume of the tree.
- Add the estimated weight of the leaves.
Frequently Asked Questions
The heartwood is the heaviest part of a tree. It is the densest and darkest part of the trunk.
The heartwood contains inactive xylem cells which give support to the tree and store sugars, dyes, and oils.
Giant sequoia trees have the thickest bark in the world. At its base, the outer layer of its bark measures more than 2 feet in thickness.
Mexican cypress trees have the thickest trunk in the world. Its trunk measures 38 feet in diameter and 119 feet in circumference.
Baobab trees are native to Australia, Africa, and India.
Black Ironwood is the heaviest wood in the world, weighing 84.5 pounds per cubic foot (1,355 cubic meters).
A large oak tree weighs 14,385 kg. Its total branchwood weighs more than the tree’s stem, or 8,349 kg, 58% of its total weight.
The heaviest tree in the world is the “General Sherman”, a giant sequoia tree weighing around 2.7 million pounds (1.9 million kg or 6,167 tons), with a volume of 1,487 cubic meters, and stands over 300 feet tall.
It is found at the Sequoia National Park in Tulare County, California, USA.
Giant sequoia trees, coming from the species Sequoiadendron giganteum, usually grow 250 feet tall and 30 feet wide.
The Balsa tree (Ochroma pyramidale) is the lightest tree in the world. It is known as the softest and most commercially-sold wood used in model airplanes, buoys, life rafts, and even surfboards.
It is an evergreen tree with smooth grey bark and stands around 40 meters high.
The tallest tree in the world is the “Hyperion” (Sequoia sempervirnes) standing 380 feet tall. It is located in Redwood National Park in California, USA.
One-fourth of an average pine tree weighs a ton or 1,000 pounds. This is based on the weight of an average mature pine tree which is 4,400 pounds (2,000 kg).
On the other hand, a 100-foot pine tree with a 30-inch diameter weighs 18,500 pounds (8,391 kg)
A dead tree weighs the same as when it was alive minus the weight of the tree and water content.
After the death of the tree, its leaves and branches are bound to shed and drop to the ground. Further, dead trees are incapable of absorbing water which contributes to the drop in their overall weight.
For instance, a red oak tree that weighed 60 pounds when it was alive, will weigh 45 pounds as a dead tree.
Below is a table summarizing the weight of a one-foot log with 10-inch diameter based on certain types of trees:
Weight of a one-foot log with 10-inch diameter
| White pine tree | 20 pounds (9 kg) |
| Pecan tree | 33 pounds (15 kg) |
| Oak tree | 40 pounds (18 kg) |
| Maple tree | 25 pounds (11 kg) |
| Beech tree | 29 pounds (13 kg) |
| Apple tree | 30 pounds |
| White ash tree | 26 pounds |
| Paper Birch tree | 27 pounds |
| Chesnut tree | 30 pounds |
| Cottonwood tree | 27 pounds |
| American Elm tree | 29 pounds |
| Evergreen Magnolia tree | 32 pounds |
| Red Maple tree | 27 pounds |
| Sugar Maple tree | 31 pounds |
| Sycamore tree | 28 pounds |
