Trees damaged by vandals likely to die

Two, and possibly four, semi-mature trees will have to be cut down after their bark was damaged.
The damaged tree in Kirton.The damaged tree in Kirton.
The damaged tree in Kirton.

In the two most severe cases, at Lighton Avenue, Kirton, and Woodville Road play area in Boston, the bark was removed all the way round, which has been described by Boston Borough Council as a ‘death sentence for a tree’.

The tree at Kirton was ‘skinned’ from the ground up to its first branch – about as far as someone could reach – all the way round its trunk. The bark appeared to have been cut off and was left, shredded, on the ground.

The stripping followed an earlier incident in which a branch had been broken off.

The damage was noticed by a dog walker and it is believed the damage on The Triangle at Kirton occurred sometime after 8pm on Saturday and before about 9.30am Sunday.

Coun Claire Rylott, Boston Borough Council’s portfolio holder for grounds and open spaces, said: “This is such a shame after so many years of growing. Whichever way you look at it, it is vandalism, but I wonder whether whoever did it realised that by stripping the bark off all the way round they have effectively killed these beautiful semi-mature specimens. They would have continued to grow for many years to come and given so much pleasure.

“If anyone has any information about who has done this, could they please pass it on to the police, and please report any such activity as soon as it is seen.”

If a tree is damaged around 100 percent of the tree, this is called girdling and the tree will most likely die.

If you have any information about the damage contact police on the non-emergency 101 number.