Friday, July 2, 2010

Tree Vandals in the Gorge

Someone recently cut down 28 newly planted trees along the Winchell Trail near Dowling School. The 6' saplings - sugar maple, basswood and oak - were then tossed over the bluff. The trail in this area was eroding and dangerous, so it had been rerouted to prevent further erosion and the trees were planted in an effort to help anchor the soil. The trail had been rerouted to the top of the bluff and a railing was put in to discourage people from using the old trailway. It seems as though whoever cut the trees wasn't happy with the trail rerouting and wanted to continue using the old alignment.

The financial loss is estimated at over $2500, which is enough to make the crime a felony. For more information, check out the following local news stories about the incident:

http://kstp.com/article/stories/S1633387.shtml?cat=0
http://www.startribune.com/local/east/97442169.html?elr=KArksUUUoDEy3LGDiO7aiU

Photo courtesy of Hillary Oppmann.

1 comment:

MJ said...

What a shame to destroy all that work---and those new trees. It's so sad that whoever did it doesn't realize the importance of those trees--helping to keep the ground from eroding any more.