"Why would anyone do this? Disturbing."
"This is horrible."
Those were two of many comments made on social media yesterday (June 5) in response to a series of vandalized trees in Coquitlam from this past weekend.
According to the city, more than 20 trees were found that appeared to be intentionally cut down across three neighbourhoods: Westwood Plateau, City Centre and Burke Mountain.
RCMP have since been called in to investigate and the public's help is also sought in hopes of finding the suspect(s) involved.
In a statement, Coquitlam staff said the young trees were vandalized at five different areas.
This included those along Parkway Boulevard and Panorama Drive, as well as in popular outdoor sites like Town Centre Park, Leigh Park and Princeton Park.
The incident is set to cost $13,000 to re-plant new trees, scheduled to take place later this fall "when the weather is optimal for young trees to develop," the city added.
And that price tag could go up if more damage is found.
Residents or visitors that find more potential cut-down trees is strongly urged to call the city's parks customer service line at 604-927-6300 or send an email to [email protected].
Anyone with more information or video of the incidents is encouraged to call Coquitlam RCMP at 604-945-1550 and quote file-number 2023-14581.
