Klojen (malangkota.go.id) – Malang City Government now has a tree condition detection tool, namely Picus Sonic Tomograph imported from Germany. With this tool, the condition of the tree can be detected, making it easier to maintain and prevent trees from falling. Thus, it can also reduce the occurrence of disasters caused by fallen trees.
That was conveyed by the Mayor of Malang, H. Moch. Anton, when he also conducted a trial of the tool on a large tree in front of Malang City Hall, Monday (30/10). The tool was conveyed by the man who is often called Abah Anton, who said that it is very much needed, considering that in Malang City there are many large trees that are tens and even hundreds of years old.
"During the rainy season and extreme weather, disasters are very prone to occur, especially strong winds that cause trees to suddenly fall. In relation to this, the Malang City Government is trying to reduce the occurrence of fallen trees by purchasing a special tool called sonic tomography from Germany for Rp. 550 million," explained Abah Anton.
Meanwhile, the Head of the Planning, Research and Development Agency (Barenlitbang) of Malang City, Erik Setyo Santoso, ST, MT said that this tool can detect the health of trees, especially the hollow parts and cannot be detected visually by the eye. Like a human, this tool is like Computerized Tomography (CT) Scan. After being researched and refined, the performance of this tool is quite fast, which is 30 minutes from the previous one which reached one hour.
Several experts and universities in Malang City are involved in the use and development so that in the future if a tree is detected to be in poor condition or unhealthy, it must be handled immediately and given special care.
"Tree care can be done by patching the tree in the cavity with cement or other materials recommended by the expert team. This way it will reduce the occurrence of fallen trees and so that the tree is better if it has been treated. However, if the results are not optimal, the tree will be cut," he explained.
Erik further said, with this tool, which is the first owned by the local government, it is hoped that it can reduce the occurrence of fallen trees and maintain trees, so that trees that look old do not have to be cut down. "To cut down trees, you must get a recommendation from the team, so that it does not seem wild and is in accordance with applicable regulations," concluded Erik. (say/yon)
