Wind risk assessment of urban street trees based on wind-induced fragility

Abstract

The failure of urban street trees caused by strong winds and has several adverse effects on urban functions and public safety. This study developed a wind fragility model based on the mechanical analysis of urban street trees. The uncertainty of the important parameters involved in this model was quantified for species of interest. Specifically, the vine copula function was used to estimate the joint probability distribution of the geometric parameters. Furthermore, the tree fragility curves were obtained and then validated by the historical measured date. The proposed model may help in effectively identifying high-risk streets and regions.