Brazilian municipalities enhance urban tree management and safety

Municipal governments in Brazil are implementing technical measures to manage urban forestry and mitigate risks to public safety. In Araraquara, authorities are conducting a planned suppression of 250 condemned trees, with over 1,250 removals completed since the start of the current administration. The city, which maintains an inventory of approximately 160,000 trees, utilizes a Technical Committee on Risks and Climate Change and a specialized program called ‘Arborização Segura’ to balance preservation with safety.

In Curitiba, environmental technicians are using portable sonic tomographs to inspect the internal structures of trees in the Passeio Público and other central areas. This technology allows for non-destructive diagnosis of tree stability, helping to identify internal decay or desvitalization. These inspections are part of a task force aimed at minimizing risks associated with meteorological phenomena like El Niño. Since 2020, Curitiba has performed maintenance pruning on 245 trees and treated 160 others for parasitic infestations to ensure urban canopy health.