Bearing Trees

[woodstrider]

So, about 2 years ago while hiking up to the summit of Mt. Taylor, NM, I came across one of these...I was actually looking to find a BM bearing tree that was on the USGS map nearer to the Gooseberry Springs Trail, but came across one on a bushwhack miles away. Very interesting and very little information on the subject when I googled it. I took a photo- but not on a digital camera. There was a mark on the tree, a disk in the ground and a sign.

 

Who else finds this of interest? They seem to be a specialtity of the west, I've seen them on a few western quads, but not on the eastern ones (though I am hardly an expert). They seem to have been used to mark property lines.

 

So I throw it out to the experts. Bearing Trees as bench marks.

[+jwahl]

I would not expect it to be very common to have a Bearing Tree for a benchmark. Occasionally horizontal control stations have a marked tree.

 

Most often bearing trees are associated with property corners and in the west it was and is extremely common to have bearing trees on PLSS corners. (Section and 1/4 section corners.)

 

So I suspect what you found was a BLM or GLO section corner and possibly on a USFS boundary where they often set signs.

 

jlw

[Z15]

A bearing tree is used as a reference mark to a land boundary monument.

 

Bearing trees are used as accessory monuments to section corners within the Public Land Survey System (PLSS), a rectangular system of land division used by more than half of the States in the US. They are also used by other agencies in a similar manner as accessories survey control and monumentation. The proceedures used when surveying PLSS lines and monuments are set forth in the 'Manual of Instructions for the Survey of the Public Lands of the United States'.

 

Chapter 4 of the Manual covers monumentation.

 

From 4-83:

 

'The purpose of an accessory is to evidence the position of the corner monument. A connection is made from the corner monument to fixed natural or artificial objects in its immediate vicinity, whereby the corner may be relocated from the accessory. Thus, if the monument is destroyed or removed, its position may be identified by any remaining evidence of the accessories...'

 

'Accessories consist of (1) bearing trees or other natural objects such as notable cliffs and boulders, permanent improvements, reference monuments; (2) mounds of stone; or (3) pits and memorials...'

 

From 4-85:

 

'4-85. Bearing trees are selected for marking when available, ordinarily within a distance of 3 chains of the corner; a greater distance important. One tree is marked in each section unless a tree in one or more positions may not be available. A full description of each bearing tree is given in the field notes...'

 

From 4-86:

 

'4-86. The marks upon a bearing tree are made upon the side facing the monument, scribed in the manner already outlined for marking tree corner monuments...'

 

Edited December 10, 2008 by Z15

[woodstrider]

Thank you to jwahl and Z15 for the expert comments.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Once you get a GPS you could add some of the one's you find to the PLSS (Public Land Survey System)Waymarking Category.

 

PLSS WAYMARK CATEGORY

 

There are aslo Parish Boundaries and a few others inthere as well.

PLSS(Public Land Survey System) in only really for the US but we wanted to also make this category global in nature.

[+Rumpled]

I'll have to check my records to check my records. I found and photographed a bearing tree while camping near Big Bear Lake, CA this past August.

I didn't search around for any other markers, though.

If I have coords, I'll waymark it.

[MarkDuster]

Found one of those triangle blazes for a Tri-station once.

Baring trees seen lots of those. Only one though that was marked with Roman numarals.

When did they stop doing that? Wish I'd had a camera that day.

[+Rumpled]

Actually, I couldn't find any photos that I took of a bearing tree.

But, I know where that one is and should see it again in August.

[kayakbird]

So I throw it out to the experts. Bearing Trees as bench marks.

 

woodstrider & all,

 

Is it fair to ask for the PID on your above referenced BM TREE?

 

The original 1910 description for CHIRICAHUA, PID CF0328 made note of reference trees (bearing trees?). See below. RM NO 1 and RM NO 2 were placed in 1934. These standard disks were found 9 Oct 08; but not the trees or the drill hole reference object.

 

"THE STATION IS MARKED BY STANDARD DISK.

CF0328''THE REFERENCE MARK, A ONE-HALF INCH DRILL HOLE 2 INCHES DEEP

CF0328''IN THE TOP OF A ROCK ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE WEST END

CF0328''OF THE PEAK, IS 9.496 METERS FROM THE STATION S 30 DEG 51 MIN E.

CF0328''TWO BLAZED TREES, THE FIRST ONE HAVING 3

CF0328''NAILS IN THE BLAZE AND THE SECOND ONE 4 NAILS, ARE AT THE

CF0328''FOLLOWING DISTANCES FROM THE STATION--12.18

CF0328''METERS, AND 13.61 METERS."

 

ML

[Bill93]

Is it fair?

 

Serious benchmark hunters don't keep secrets like geocachers. Different game. We try to emulate the pros and provide all the information that we have that would make it easier for someone to find the mark in the future.

 

That updated information may include coordinates if the SCALED values were far off, highways that are renumbered, mentioning what old reference objects are not there, distances to new reference objects if appropriate, and photographs of both the mark and the area showing its location.

 

Bearing trees as benchmarks?

 

No, a bearing tree is a reference mark, to help find the important mark, and not a carefully measured point in itself. Marked trees can be interesting to find. I'd like to find some in my area (Iowa).

[kayakbird]

Serious benchmark hunters don't keep secrets like geocachers. Different game. We try to emulate the pros and provide all the information that we have that would make it easier for someone to find the mark in the future.

 

Bill93 & all,

 

OK, can this become, or is there, a forum to figure out "just what did they mean by that" wording in some descriptions that may or may not be typo's.

 

Thanks, ML

[Bill93]

That is one of the main purposes of this forum. If it doesn't have to do with trees, perhaps a new thread is in order.

[Z15]

So I throw it out to the experts. Bearing Trees as bench marks.

 

woodstrider & all,

 

Is it fair to ask for the PID on your above referenced BM TREE?

 

The original 1910 description for CHIRICAHUA, PID CF0328 made note of reference trees (bearing trees?). See below. RM NO 1 and RM NO 2 were placed in 1934. These standard disks were found 9 Oct 08; but not the trees or the drill hole reference object.

 

"THE STATION IS MARKED BY STANDARD DISK.

CF0328''THE REFERENCE MARK, A ONE-HALF INCH DRILL HOLE 2 INCHES DEEP

CF0328''IN THE TOP OF A ROCK ON THE HIGHEST POINT OF THE WEST END

CF0328''OF THE PEAK, IS 9.496 METERS FROM THE STATION S 30 DEG 51 MIN E.

CF0328''TWO BLAZED TREES, THE FIRST ONE HAVING 3

CF0328''NAILS IN THE BLAZE AND THE SECOND ONE 4 NAILS, ARE AT THE

CF0328''FOLLOWING DISTANCES FROM THE STATION--12.18

CF0328''METERS, AND 13.61 METERS."

 

ML

 

The trees in this instance would not be considered Bearing Tree's. Bearing Tree is a term used in Land Surveying, not Geodetic Surveying.

Bearing trees are used as accessory monuments to section corners within the Public Land Survey System (PLSS)

Edited December 17, 2008 by Z15

[Mesa Mike]

Once you get a GPS you could add some of the one's you find to the PLSS (Public Land Survey System)Waymarking Category.

 

PLSS WAYMARK CATEGORY

 

Is this a new category on Waymarking.com?

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Once you get a GPS you could add some of the one's you find to the PLSS (Public Land Survey System)Waymarking Category.

 

PLSS WAYMARK CATEGORY

 

Is this a new category on Waymarking.com?

 

Yes it is.

[Mesa Mike]

Is this a new category on Waymarking.com?

Yes it is.

 

Is there an easy way to transfer some of my waymarks from the benchmarks category to the new PLSS category? I have a dozen or so section corners and property corners I put in the benchmarks category...

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Copy and paste is about the easiest way I know.

They are going to implement some type of way to do it easier but have yet to.

Edited December 19, 2008 by GEO*Trailblazer 1

[kayakbird]

PLSS corners,

 

HES #45, Cochise Co, Arizona has several nice etched stones that can be seen from a public road or NF property. ML