ÁRVORES NATIVAS PARA ARBORIZAÇÃO URBANA NO SUL DE SANTA CATARINA, BRASIL

The choosing of species is a matter of great importance in the planning of urban afforestation. In the municipalities of the southern region of Brazil, the introduction of exotic invasive trees can be readily observed, functioning as centers of dispersion of these species for the urban and rural natural environments, therefore, attention should be paid to the inappropriate use of these species. In contrast, the use of native species contributes to the maintenance of natural biodiversity. This study aims to select native tree species for urban afforestation, providing dendrological, phenological and landscape data, thus contributing to the conservation and implantation of green areas. 60 tree species with landscape potential that occur in an urban fragment of Dense Ombrophylous Forest were selected. Among them, 41 were considered large, reinforcing the use applied for landscaping of large areas. Perennial foliage (81%), dense shading (63%) and rounded crown (46%) predominated. The predominant color of the flowers was white. In the current context of valuing biodiversity, the urban space must guarantee the conservation of the largest possible number of species and, at the same time, raise people's awareness of the importance of regional biodiversity.