A posteriori GPR Evaluation of Tree Stability: A Case Study in Rome (Italy)

Abstract

Following the frequent and harmful collapses of trees that have plagued the municipal territory of Rome in recent years, a protocol of understanding was initiated between the Department of Environmental Protection of ROMA CAPITALE, the American University of Rome, the Research Centre for Forestry and Wood of the– Council for Agricultural Research and Economics (CREA)–, and Sensors and Software, Inc. This protocol aims to start an experimental project by conducting a series of non-destructive geophysical measurements using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) technology and assessing the effectiveness of this methodology to investigate the root system and tree trunks located along paved roads in two sample areas of the city. The test will use the GPR technique to confirm some hypothetical assumptions about tree stability based on a posteriori evaluations made by the Department of Environmental Protection of ROMA CAPITALE. All phases of this test showed the effectiveness of the method and the rapidity of the data acquisition.