Portsmouth Dr gum trees vandalised

Juvenile gum trees planted along Dunedin's Portsmouth Dr which were targeted by vandals on Monday...
Juvenile gum trees planted along Dunedin's Portsmouth Dr which were targeted by vandals on Monday, leaving Dunedin City Council staff frustrated. Photos by Stephen Jaquiery.
The Dunedin City Council wants answers after "mindless" vandals braved a snowstorm to attack juvenile trees planted in Portsmouth Dr.

The three- to four-year-old gum tree plantings had been installed along Portsmouth Dr earlier this year, in an attempt to make the area - near the Andersons Bay inlet - more attractive.

However, council staff were left frustrated yesterday, after discovering 14 of the plantings had been snapped in half on Monday.

Council community and recreation services manager Mick Reece said it was the second time plantings in the area had been damaged by vandals, after a similar incident two years ago.

The most recent damage was an act of "premeditated and sustained vandalism", but one that could be difficult to avoid.

"In a prominent position like Portsmouth Dr ... it just takes one person in the wrong frame of mind at the wrong time.

"I'm sure in their heads they've got a reason. I've got no idea . . . That sort of activity is just mindless."

Mr Reece urged anyone with information about the attack to contact the council, and anyone witnessing similar incidents in future to immediately ring police.

Each tree had been matured to between three and four years of age, to protect against the harsh soil and wind conditions in Portsmouth Dr, before being planted, he said.

The work involved meant each tree was worth between $150 and $200, and those planted had been doing "very well", he said.

"They looked as though they were going to succeed."

The damage came after "eight or nine" plantings were damaged soon after being installed in 2009, and others had been lost to wind damage and other environmental problems in the years since, Mr Reece said.

chris.morris@odt.co.nz

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