Vandalism on city trees: a case study from KNUST campus, Ghana

Tree vandalism has harmful consequences that impact the performance of trees, affecting the flow of their benefits to society. However, questions about the common forms of tree vandalism and factors contributing to a tree's vulnerability to vandalism have not been well researched. Using the campus of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology as a case study, the current research identified the common forms of tree vandalism and determined the relationship between these forms and tree species, size, and location. The study area was stratified into three based on land use: Faculty area, Students' residence, and Lecturers' residence. Using the Quantum Geographic Information System (QGIS), 100 × 100 m grids were laid on the study area map, and 10% of the grids were randomly selected from each stratum. All trees within the selected grids were identified and assessed. A total of 185 incidents of tree damage were recorded from the 131 trees assessed across the three strata. The highest incidence of damage recorded was broken branches (90), while burnt trees had the lowest frequency of occurrence (6). A total of 61 trees from 19 species were recorded as vandalised according to our classification. Tree size and proximity to the road network did not influence the type of tree vandalism recorded. However, our study suggests that tree vandalism may be location-specific, with trees in highly visible and crowded areas more likely to be vandalised with acts that seek people's attention, while those in isolated areas are less likely to be vandalised through attention-seeking acts. This study is among the few which has attempted to empirically document a common phenomenon that has received less attention and has been overlooked in several societies.