Thousands of dollars worth of saplings planted in an Epping park have been destroyed.
The 22 eucalyptus trees, planted late last year in Winchester Park, were snapped at their bases or severely damaged in the past two months.
Whittlesea council parks and open space project officer Alan Harrison said the trees, valued about $4500, had been planted as part of the park’s $500,000 upgrade.
The saplings had been planted near the new playground to provide shade.
“It’s disappointing when vandalism like this occurs,” he said. “It means the council has to spend additional funds to replace trees.”
Whittlesea crime prevention officer Sandra O’Connor said this sort of behaviour often went unreported.
“We encourage the public to report these sorts of incidents because these are community assets,” Leading Senior Constable O’Connor said. “We encourage the public to report any suspicious behaviour.”
