Police investigate after 30 trees vandalized at Halifax Public Gardens
Municipality says bark was stripped off the trunks; park reopened Wednesday
Police are investigating after bark was stripped off the trunks of roughly 30 trees throughout the Halifax Public Gardens.
In an email, a municipal official said it's possible the bark was stripped with an axe or a hatchet and the damage varies from tree to tree. Some of the damaged trees are 200 years old, according to a Halifax Regional Police statement released on Wednesday.
The gardens were closed on Tuesday and reopened on Wednesday.
Police say the damage was done sometime between the park closing on Monday night and reopening the next morning. A post from the garden's Twitter account said it appears someone broke into the park during that time.
The Public Gardens are closed today due to an ongoing police investigation. It appears an individual or individuals broke into the gardens last night and damaged multiple trees with an axe. We are deeply disheartened by this senseless act. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/halifax?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#halifax</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/halifaxevents?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#halifaxevents</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/halifaxnoise?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#halifaxnoise</a>
—@HfxPublicGardenMany of the trees affected, including some historic trees, were around Griffins Pond. Staff are working to save as many of the trees as possible, but some trees may need to be removed.
The municipality will be keeping an eye on the health of the affected trees over the coming months. The total cost of the damage isn't known.
With files from Amy Smith