The Halifax Public Gardens closed on Tuesday after bark was stripped off the trunks of roughly 30 trees throughout the park.
In an email, a municipal official said it’s possible the bark was stripped with an axe or a hatchet and the damage varies from tree to tree.
A post from the garden’s Twitter account said it appears someone broke in overnight and did the damage.
The Public Gardens are closed today due to an ongoing police investigation. It appears an individual or individuals broke into the gardens last night and damaged multiple trees with an axe. We are deeply disheartened by this senseless act. <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/halifax?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#halifax</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/halifaxevents?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#halifaxevents</a> <a href=”https://twitter.com/hashtag/halifaxnoise?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw”>#halifaxnoise</a>
—@HfxPublicGarden
Many of the trees affected, including some historic trees, were around Griffins Pond. Staff are working to save as many of the trees as possible, but some trees may need to be removed.
The municipality will be keeping an eye on the health of the affected trees over the coming months. The total cost of the damage is not yet known.
The park is expected to reopen on Wednesday.