Sixty newly planted trees along the Mississippi River in St. Paul were uprooted and vandalized in November, costing around $40,000 in damages.
Street trees planted along Shepard Road near Upper Landing Park were destroyed, with some thrown into the river on the night of Nov. 13, said Clare Cloyd, St. Paul Parks and Recreation spokesperson, in a statement.
“We are disappointed in this act and the negative impact it has on the neighboring community and our urban forest,” Cloyd said in the statement.
The trees were planted less than a month before the vandalism in October, Cloyd said.
“We are actively working with local law enforcement to gain more information about this incident, which we believe occurred overnight and likely caused nearly $40,000 in damage,” Cloyd said in the statement.
The St. Paul Police Department did not have any updates on the investigation as of Tuesday, Cloyd said. Approximately 14 trees were recovered and replanted, while the remaining 46 planting sites were filled and covered.
Tree Trust, a local non-profit, worked with St. Paul public school students to plant the trees in October, according to a newsletter from Tree Trust. Over two days, 37 St. Paul high school students planted around 250 trees near Lower Landing Park and Upper Landing Park, including the 60 vandalized trees.
St. Paul is working with Tree Trust to figure out the next steps in replacing the damaged trees, Cloyd said in the statement.
“Obviously we are past the planting season for the year given the weather, so we will work with Tree Trust to determine a plan for how we revisit and replace in this area next spring,” Cloyd said in the statement.
Cloyd in the statement said the students worked during their break for the Minnesota Educators Academy conference, also known as the MEA break, to plant the trees.
“These trees were planted last month during MEA break in partnership with Tree Trust and local high school students, who invested significant time and effort in this planting to help green our community,” Cloyd said in the statement.
St. Paul began working with Tree Trust to help restore the urban tree canopy in the wake of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle infestation that required the city to remove almost all ash trees on city property.
The city completed its structured ash tree removal in June. Any ash trees removed in 2024 will be replaced with a new tree in 2025.
The partnership between Tree Trust and the city allows for more trees to be planted in the city and gives young people the opportunity to get involved in the community, St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter said in the Tree Trust newsletter.
“This partnership with Tree Trust is important. We want young people to learn to be stewards of our environment and to create opportunities for young people to grow up and work in our community,” Carter said in the newsletter.
