Tree damage index in Taman Merdeka, Binjai City, North Sumatra Province

Tree damage is one of the important indicators for tree health monitoring. Data on tree damage conditions will be very useful for city park managers to determine tree care measures. The purpose of this study was to determine the index of tree damage in Taman Merdeka, Binjai City, North Sumatra Province. The assessment of the three parameters (location of damage, type of damage, and level of damage severity) on the tree damage indicators refers to the Forest Health Monitoring method developed by the USDA Forest Service (1997). A total of 86 (eighty six) individual trees from 15 (fifteen) tree species growing in Taman Merdeka – Binjai City were successfully measured for their damage conditions. The results of this study indicate that overall the trees that grow in Taman Merdeka Binjai City are in good condition. This can be seen from the absence of trees that have a heavy damage index. The results of this study showed that as many as 47,67% of tree species growing in Taman Merdeka – Binjai City had a moderate damage index, dan as many as 52,33% had a low damage index. Five species of trees are known to have moderate damage, namely mahoni (Swietenia macrophylla), saga (Adenanthera pavonina), dadap merah (Erythrina christagali), ketapang kencana (Terminalia mantally), and mangga (Mangifera indica).