Arborization in the medians of the city of Patos, Paraíba Estate.
Lucena J. N. de, Souto P. C., Camaño J. D. Z., Souto J. S., Souto L. S.
Author Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Campina Grande, Campus de Patos, Paraíba, Brazil.
Revista Verde de Agroecologia e Desenvolvimento Sustentável 10 : Ciencias Ambientais 20-26
Abstract : The arborization in the central urban area of cities is a practice that beautifies urban areas and reduces anthropogenic effects in these areas. The aim of the present study was to measure and assess the quality of trees located in the medians of the city of Patos, PB, through identifying, quantifying and characterizing the vegetation in three different medians and evaluating the risks these trees posed to the population. The analyzed vegetation included 166 individual trees belonging to 14 different species, 71.4% of which were exotic species. The most represented species were Azadirachta indica and Prosopis juliflora. Most of the tress were fully grown and measured over 10 cm DBH with heights ranging from 1.6 to 7.21 m. In relation to risk assessment, there were no specimens that interfered with the electrical networks, but the presence of hollow branches was found in low to medium levels. In most individuals the root systems were located underground, but it was observed that 70.1% of the evaluated trees had surface roots (neilóides), increasing their susceptibility to falling. This study concluded that most of the trees in the medians of Patos city are exotic and most of these trees have suffered inappropriate silvicultural intervention.