The investigation continues into vandalism of dozens of trees in St. Paul over this past weekend. A similar incident occurred near the same area last November, and it has city officials wondering why?
Clare Cloyd with St. Paul Parks and Recreation explains what happened on Shepard Road.
"This time we encountered 32 trees that had been sawed at about 1-foot up from the ground and the canopies were left hanging on site," said Cloyd. "And so our foresters worked to kind of clean up the damage that was left and we'll head back to to remove the stumps here as soon as they can."
It's expected to cost $700 to replace each tree.
"That's an estimate that we have just when factoring in the materials and the labor and kind of the maintenance that it takes for each tree to go back in the ground," she adds.
Cloyd said at this point, they don't have a funding source identified, but hope to have a replacement plan in place soon.
She also says this is really discouraging.
"It's frustrating to face another senseless act of vandalism along the same stretch, and as you said, especially when it's pretty impossible to rationalize why someone would do such a thing," Cloyd told WCCO Radio.
The trees were planted in partnership with Tree Trust, a nonprofit that provides environmental education and job training to youth.
No arrests have been made.
Last November, sixty trees along the Mississippi River were ripped out of the ground, leaving behind holes in the dirt adjacent to Shepard Road. Most were thrown into the river.