Tree vandals strike a third mature tree in Kelowna
News Release
The City is seeking the public’s help to identify the culprits who poisoned a mature tree at 1055 Sunset Drive. This incident is the third of its kind within the last 12 months, excluding a separate incident involving a burnt tree on Earth Day.
“It’s hard to understand how someone in our community would go out of their way to kill a tree like this, to drill 25 holes in it and fill them with herbicide,” says Infrastructure General Manager Mac Logan. “The City will have to recover the cost to eventually remove the tree replace it, but the idea that someone would actively choose to harm their community in this way bothers me greatly. It’s now happened for a third time in less than a year and we as a community need to stop such acts.”
Tragically, the poisoned tree will perish over the next two to three months and City staff will seek to preserve the tree in an effort to continue to support local wildlife until it is deemed a safety hazard and needs to be removed.
Previous acts of intentional vandalism targeted urban trees on Manhattan Drive and in the Clarence Greenspace area. The vandalism at Clarence Greenspace last summer led to the harm of more than just the initial target. Due to a connected root system, six other Aspen trees died as a result.
In addition to the targeted poisonings, on Earth Day this year, the Kelowna Fire Department responded to a fire burning in the root system of a mature tree in Kelowna’s waterfront park on Cedar Avenue, and while extinguished, the tree was significantly damaged and had to be removed.
Investigations to identify individuals responsible for this latest case of vandalism are underway and we strongly encourage residents to come forward with any information they might have.
Anyone who may have witnessed, or has information relating to, this incident is asked to phone the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 referencing file number 2023-800746.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you may also contact Central Okanagan Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or leave a tip online at crimestoppers.net.
