The urban forestry of the streets reflects the quality of life in urban areas, as it brings
many benefits to population. The planning of the implementation of the afforestation
must contemplate in its diagnostic stage as well as after its execution, the
engagement of the population to guarantee its success. In the implementation of the
road afforestation, one of the greatest problems that can occur is the lost of the
seedlings through vandalism acts, by suppression or damaging parts of their
structures. The objective of the research was to identify the damages caused by
vandalism in broken seedlings, planted in road afforestation and to evaluate the
environmental perception of the population related to the vandalism of the streets
afforestation in the city of Curitiba – PR. The research had sought plantations in
Curitiba – PR, between the year 2008 and 2010, correlating rates of depredation in
new planted seedlings that are below 2 meters in total height and below 1, 80 meters
in bifurcation height. The variables that had been measured were: presence of a
tutor, sidewalk area, increasing in total height, bifurcation height, lap circumference,
canopy diameter, number of branches, number of second generation plants and
kinds of depredations that had been occurred. Moreover, interviews had been
applied to the population, with opened and closed questions to evaluate the
satisfaction level in relation to the afforestation and the level of engagement in
maintenance and conservation of the seedlings by them. In 2008, 2009 and 2010,
976 had been planted by the Curitiba City Hall, in 25 streets. They had been
observed through a nine months interval in years 2010 and 2011. On the first
analysis, 25,92 % of the seedlings were eliminated and 15,91 % on the second
analysis. The results showed that between the first and the second analysis, the
seedlings had a medium increase of 0,14 meters in total height; 0,73 centimeters in
lap circumference and 0,20 meters in canopy projection diameter. About the
vandalism, an increasing of 10,01% had been noticed between the two analysis,
emphasizing: trunk injury (68,24%); seedling suppression (37,70%); broken branches
(37,19%); tutors taken off (33,40%); apex buds suppression (18,75%); ringing
(4,82%); broken seedlings (4,20%) and provoked death in 1,95%. About the
environmental perception of the interviewed people, it had been observed that most
of them know about the uncountable benefits of urban afforestation (77,78%) and
45,58% help the seedling maintenance. We point out that only 13,99% of the
interviewed people noticed damaged caused to the seedlings, including: 25,48% of
brunch breaking, 13,62% of ringing, 9,65% of tutors taken off, 6,67% of burning and
root damage and 1,97% of provoked death. The main motivation for these acts is
lack of environmental conscience with 48,89%, followed by lack of education
with11,87%. Therefore, a greatest awareness must be developed by the population,
seeking its engagement, emphasizing how the afforestation is important to increase
the quality of life.
