For the second time in less than a year, vandals have destroyed several young trees recently planted along Shepard Road in downtown St. Paul, city officials said Friday.
South of the Smith Avenue High Bridge, 32 saplings were “cut just a few feet from the ground with their canopies left behind,” according to a St. Paul Parks and Recreation Department social media post.
The trees were planted last October by the city in partnership with the St. Paul nonprofit Tree Trust to replace the riverside canopy destroyed by the emerald ash borer.
It was just a month later that 60 of them were found ripped out of the ground near the Wabasha Street Bridge and tossed into the Mississippi River. Those trees were later replanted by volunteers.
City officials hope to also replace the 32 trees destroyed in this latest round of vandalism, but they said no funding has yet been identified for this.
“While this incident is disappointing, we remain committed to growing and strengthening our urban canopy,” the parks department said in its social media post. “You can also help by watering recently planted trees on your boulevard or in your yard throughout the growing season and before the ground freezes each fall.”
City officials asked anyone with information about the destruction of the trees to call the St. Paul Police Department’s non-emergency line at 651-291-1111.
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