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Suchocka M, Jelonek T, Błaszczyk M, Wińska-Krysiak M, Kubus M, Ziemiański M, Kalaji HM. Risk assessment of hollow-bearing trees in urban forests. Sci Rep 2023; 13:22214. [PMID: 38097704 PMCID: PMC10721860 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-49419-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The paper is a study of risk assessment posed by trees in selected urban woodlands (urban forests) of Warsaw. Two groups of trees were analysed and compared: exhibiting signs of maturity and ageing (hollow-bearing trees with open or hidden cavities and/or caries) and with no signs of decay. 373 individual trees growing near routes frequently or continuously used for recreational purposes were examined using Roloff's vitality classification, and tree risk assessment method, complemented by instrumental studies: a resistance resistograph, pulling tests, and sonic tomography (SoT). The collected data was analysed using the Chi-square test. The results indicate that it is not possible to conclude unequivocally that the presence of hollows in aged trees significantly increases the risk of falling. According to the safety factor results from the SoT and pulling tests, no correlation was demonstrated between the presence of hollow trees and an increase in risk class. The highest proportion of hollow trees (89.42%) was in the low risk group for trunk fracture and uprooting. The results also indicate the coherence of the diagnostic methods to be necessary for providing sufficient information to assess the statics and, ultimately, as our study showed, the protection of hollow trees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marzena Suchocka
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska St. 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Tomasz Jelonek
- Faculty of Forestry and Wood Technology, Poznan University of Life Sciences, St. Wojska Polskiego 28, 60-637, Poznan, Poland
| | - Magdalena Błaszczyk
- Department of Landscape Architecture, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska St. 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland.
| | - Marzena Wińska-Krysiak
- Department of Plant Protection, Institute of Horticultural Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska St. 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Marcin Kubus
- Department of Landscape Architecture, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Papieża Pawła VI St. 3a, 71-459, Szczecin, Poland
| | | | - Hazem M Kalaji
- Institute of Technology and Life Sciences-National Research Institute, Al. Hrabska 3, Falenty, 05-090, Raszyn, Poland
- Department of Plant Physiology, Institute of Biology, Warsaw University of Life Sciences-SGGW, Nowoursynowska St. 159, 02-776, Warsaw, Poland
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