Interaction Between Energy Distribution Systems and Urban Afforestation in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte

Abstract

Urban growth promotes changes in the environment and in the quality of life. Urban afforestation enables environmental services. But afforestation requires planning and maintenance to avoid conflicts with other urban equipment. The objective of this work was to analyze the interaction between urban afforestation and energy distribution systems in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte. The state-owned energy concessionaire’s database was used, seeking to analyze the relationship between the history of outages in energy supply and the environmental factors associated with the fact, in the period between 2010 and 2015. It was found that the most relevant factors were the type of electrical energy distribution system (bare or isolated) and the maintenance (pruning) of the trees. The size of the tree and the strength of the wood are decisive in defining the demand for maintenance pruning to ensure a harmonious relationship between the trees and the electrical energy distribution system.

Keywords:
landscaping; urban forests; urban trees