Sixty trees along St. Paul’s Shepard Road were destroyed by vandals overnight Thursday, with some of the trees thrown into the Mississippi River, city officials said.
In a statement, St. Paul Parks and Recreation said the trees were planted last month over Minnesota Education Association (MEA) break in partnership with local high school students and Tree Trust.
Police are now investigating the vandalism, which city officials believe happened pre-dawn Thursday and caused nearly $40,000 in damages.
“While we are disappointed in this act and the negative impact it has on the neighboring community and our urban forest, we are working closely with Tree Trust to determine next steps for replacing the damaged trees and will provide more information when it becomes available,” the city shared.
A photo shared by Tree Trust earlier this week showed the results tree planting effort before the vandalism took place.