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Health checks on trees in Jakarta to prevent them from getting uprooted during high winds will be of no benefit unless the human impact to the trees is taken into account, a researcher says.

Lina Karlinasari, from the School of Forestry at the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), said on Wednesday that tests being done by the Jakarta Parks Agency were only part of the solution.

“These checks and treatments on the trees are the right step toward prevent more trees from falling,” she said. “But there’s not enough emphasis on the human factor. Human behavior is a threat to tree ecosystems in Jakarta.”

She said that although the trees uprooted during recent torrential rains and heavy winds were found to be termite-infested, it was people and their activities that were responsible for the decay.

“Termites and wood rot are all part of the ecosystem and can be dealt with to minimize damage to the tree,” Lina said.

“But it’s things like hanging ads and banners from trees that marks the start of the damage. It’s also important that people get involved in nurturing the trees if they’re to remain in good condition.”

The Jakarta administration announced last week that it would conduct ultrasonic testing to check the stability of trees across the capital following several incidents in which felled trees caused fatalities, injuries and damage to property.

To date, the tests have focused on trees in front of City Hall on Jalan Merdeka Selatan, as well as those along Central Jakarta’s Jalan Teuku Umar and South Jakarta’s Jalan Pattimura.

A woman was killed last month when she was hit by a falling tree on Jalan Merdeka Utara, which is lined with the same tamarind trees as Jalan Merdeka Selatan.

Also in January, a bajaj driver was killed when a tree fell on his vehicle on Jalan Dharmawangsa IV in South Jakarta.

Lina said the focus of the tests being carried out by the parks agency and IPB would be on tamarind and rosewood trees.

“These are the two tree species most vulnerable to uprooting because of wood rot,” she said.

In 2011, at least 30 vehicles were badly damaged by falling tree trunks and limbs due to heavy rains.

The parks agency reported that in South Jakarta, 35 trees were uprooted in a single storm there in March. The agency also said 3 percent of the total 70,000 trees in public spaces across Jakarta were at risk of falling over because of wood rot, decay or severe tilting.

Experts have pointed out that many of the trees planted across the city are not given room to let their roots sink deep enough, making them more prone to uprooting in strong winds.

They also point out that the acacia and albizia species planted here, although fast-growing, don’t have deep root networks, grow too tall and are less resistant to wind than other slower-growing species.