Abstract
Urban trees are subjected to different damaging agents throughout their lifetime. The aims of this study were to identify tree damaging agents, and to obtain a Damage Severity Index (DSI) in order to categorize tree health condition at San Juan de Aragon Park. Each tree was identified at species level in 28 randomly established plots in ten sections of the study area. Up to two types of damage were recorded per tree, based on the FIA (Forest Inventory an Analysis Program) protocol, and a DSI was obtained for each damaged tree considering location of damage, nature of the damaging agent and severity. A total of 753 trees were assessed and 12 species and 27 damaging agents were identified. Cankers, galls, the pepper tree psyllid and the red gum lerp psyllid were the most frequent damaging agents. Australian pine, red gum, Mediterranean cypress, Mexican white cedar, and California pepper were the most affected species. The DSI ranged from 3 to 17 and the average was 7.9. Sections J and H and the species California pepper, Australian pine, and Mexican white cedar presented the highest DSI. The tree population had a moderate health condition, while the aforementioned sections and tree species showed the poorest.
Highlights
Urban trees are subjected to different damaging agents throughout their lifetime
Up to two types of damage were recorded per tree, based on the FIA (Forest Inventory an Analysis Program) protocol, and a Damage Severity Index (DSI) was obtained for each damaged tree considering location of damage, nature of the damaging agent and severity
Out 14 sections that conform to the park, ten were chosen (B, C, E, F, G, H, J, K, L, and M) (Figure 1) which in the past were classified according to their use and service (SMA, 2012)
Summary
Exposure to different damaging agents such as pathogens, insects, air pollution, vandalism and lack of management undermine tree vitality. Along with these adversities, the species planted are generally not the most appropriate for the site. Selecting the right species for an urban area requires careful examination (i.e., potential constraints, tree ecophysiology, aesthetic and functional attributes, otherwise, the trees will be more susceptible to diseases and pests, and leading to extra-maintenance costs (removal and replacement, pruning, fertilization, etc.) (McPherson, 1993; Roman & Scatena, 2011; Johnston & Hirons, 2014; Bravo-Bello et al, 2020)
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