Canopy in LA’s fragile city was hit with a vicious blow this weekend when vandalism chainsaws mow many shaded trees along South Grand Street and other areas of downtown, according to media posts and photos uploaded to Reddit and Instagram.
The Los Angeles Police Department told the Times that there was no information about the tree destruction, but emails and calls to the city’s urban forestry department were unanswered on Sunday.
Social media images showed many trees cut at the base, while other images were cut several feet above the pavement. Some cut trees were still connected to the trunk by bark and wood threads.
All the trees between 1st St. and Wilshire Avenue have been cut down, according to Reddit user TiptapmyWipWap. However, a review of the photos suggests that some are standing there.
Instagram photos show fallen trees at the intersection of Olympic and Hope Street, Olympic and Figuero Street, Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue.
The Thursday lies on the streets Sunday after being cut down in downtown on Friday night.
(Carlin Steel/Los Angeles Times)
Many trees appeared to be drought-resistant species known as Indian Laurel Figs or Ficus microcarpas.
Trees bring countless benefits to urban areas. They capture rainwater runoff, replenish groundwater, and slow down road degradation. They also help to clean the air and cool areas experiencing increasingly hotter temperatures due to global climate change and built environments. One study by the UCLA Ruskin Center found that shade can reduce human heat stress from 25% to 30% throughout the day.
Social media users have denounced the perpetrator, with some noting that the cut took place just before Earth Day.
“So ecoterrorism on a day when most people are celebrating Earth Day? It seems very intentional,” said @janky-ciborium-138.
Others wondered whether it was a grand plot by urban planners who wanted to defeat the trees but didn’t want to pass the red tape of the city’s bureaucracy.
“Someone had to remove these trees – either employees in some cities or private developers – and we decided this was much easier than getting actual permission,” said @difficult.
The Thursday lies on the streets Sunday after being cut down in downtown on Friday night.
(Carlin Steel/Los Angeles Times)
Many people should be able to use video evidence for reviewers because security cameras are ubiquitous.
