Gauging Historical Forest Surveys: Recalibrating the Legacy of the Brandis Hypsometer

During the nineteenth century, the European field of forestry was transmitted through expanding colonial empires and networks that sought to inventory and monetize overseas woodlands. Encountering new environments and terrain, the nineteenth century British Empire discovered that existing surveying and enumeration methods were poorly suited for colonized territories. This was particularly true of British India, which spanned from modern-day Pakistan to Myanmar. Designed for European forests, forestry instruments in the nineteenth century performed poorly abroad. With the assistance of Syed Mir Mohsin Hussain, Dietrich Brandis—a German scientist and one of the first Inspectors General of Forests in British India—reconstituted a European hypsometer to address some of these challenges. The collaboration between the two men resulted in the Brandis hypsometer. For the subsequent half century, the hypsometer became a principal forestry device throughout the British Empire and the United States. Despite the widespread adoption of the device, critics challenged the operability and accuracy of the Brandis hypsometer. Using computer-aided design and modern fabrication techniques has allowed for a reexamination of this historic device. The authors’ investigation supports critics’ claims and suggests a degree of nuance for researchers relying on data produced by the device. Study Implications: In the early twentieth century, the Brandis hypsometer was the preferred and most used forestry mensuration tool in the world. However, the legacy of the Brandis hypsometer has been overlooked by historians and foresters. Developed by Dietrich Brandis, a former Inspector General of Forests, and Syed Mir Mohsin Hussain, the hypsometer was created to face the challenges of colonial forestry. After its adoption by major schools of forestry in British India, France, and the United States, the Brandis hypsometer became the select tool of western and colonial foresters. Longstanding challenges to the device’s accuracy are upheld by the authors.