Community searches for answers after group destroys hundreds of protected trees for illegal bike track: ‘I’m shocked and sad’

[Pelican Press 0]

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Community searches for answers after group destroys hundreds of protected trees for ******** bike track: ‘I’m shocked and sad’

In a place like New York City, shared public parks are an important means of accessing nature — often one of the only ways that residents in a neighborhood are able to spend time relaxing under the canopies of trees.

So when a group of people decided to vandalize and ******** hundreds of trees at Kissena Park in Queens, it was both shocking and devastating for everybody in the community.

Fox 5 New York

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on the vandalism, saying that 300 trees — totaling a $15,000 value — were destroyed and many more damaged. The vandalism took place in a 5,000-square-foot area; after the trees had been chopped, the perpetrators began creating “what appears to be a well-planned track for dirt bikes or ATVs.”

“First of all, I’m shocked and sad,” Carolina Rodriguez, a local resident, told Fox 5.

To add insult to injury, the targeted trees had been newly planted by volunteers, said Councilmember Sandra Ung, as part of a reforestation effort in the park.

The New York Police Department is helping to investigate the incident, but no perpetrators have yet been named. Rodriguez explained that she’d seen a large group of kids riding e-bikes and carrying shovels “a couple of times on the weekends.”

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This wouldn’t be the first example of people treating a shared communal space as if it were their own private land. From ripping out saplings in somebody’s yard to mowing down commercial land to make a path, certain people seemingly don’t care about who owns what when they have a personal goal in mind.

And because these selfish acts cause expensive, lasting damage to places like Kissena Park, the consequences are strict. According to New York City’s

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, a single tree illegally removed in its park can saddle the perpetrator with a fine of up to $15,000 and/or a year in jail. Even accidentally damaging a tree can result in a $1,000 fine and/or up to 90 days in jail.

The Parks Department sent Fox 5 a statement, which said, in part, “we are working with the NYPD on their investigation, but we ask for the public’s help as well. If you witness any ******** activity in our parks, please alert Parks Enforcement Patrol or the NYPD.”

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#Community #searches #answers #group #destroys #hundreds #protected #trees #******** #bike #track #shocked #sad

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