Officials open investigation after finding hundreds of rare protected trees illegally cut down: 'This seems weirdly targeted and coordinated'

Officials open investigation after 200 protected trees are illegally cut down: 'We are disgusted'

"Some of these trees are very rare and may not be able to be replaced."

If you thought you'd heard everything, get ready for this one: tree vandalism. That's a thing, and it's cropping up in Australia.

In October, eight parks and reserves across Melbourne were robbed of nearly 200 young trees and shrubs, Glen Eira City Council announced in a statement. The trees were snapped at the base, cut with a hand saw, or ripped out of the ground.

"We are extremely disappointed and disgusted," the council said on what it deemed a suspected act of vandalism. "Some of these trees are very rare and may not be able to be replaced," it explained, at the time urging citizens to report any suspicious activity.

According to the statement, not only can the penalty for these acts be up to 10 years of imprisonment or a $218,000 fine, but the cost of replacing, repairing, and replanting adds almost $200,000 to the burden of ratepayers.

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And this isn't the only area in the country that has suffered from vegetative vandalism and witnessed trees being chopped down or poisoned at night. Per the Guardian, the Sydney suburb of Longueville reported a similar case in November last year.

"This large-scale removal of trees has really become a phenomenon in the last few years," arboriculture specialist Gregory Moore told S BS News in November. According to the expert, these acts are likely driven by money and "a desire for elusive water views."

"This does seem especially senseless," a Reddit user commented in a dedicated discussion. "I mean, who wants to live in an area with higher temperatures and worse air quality? I expect the thought process was at a much lower level, though."

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"This seems weirdly targeted and coordinated. Quite a bit of travel involved," another Redditor pointed out.

After decades of environmental disregard, Australia's ecosystems are under considerable pressure, CarbonClick reported last year.

On a hopeful note, an increasing number of local governments and communities are stepping up to lower their impact on the environment through initiatives such as Cities Race to Zero and Climate Active or, like Glen Eira, have set an objective to grow their canopy.

The municipality has already started to replant the trees that were wiped out and will continue to do so during next year's planting season, beginning in May.

"This will allow us to order a variety of native and exotic plants suitable for Glen Eira and the urban environment, and that maximise long-term canopy benefits for our community," the council said in November.