A groundskeeper making early morning rounds on Monday at the Public Gardens in downtown Halifax discovered a tree had been hacked with a sharp object. The incident is being investigated by the police. “They believe in the hours between midnight and 10 a.m. that the damage may have occur occurred,” says Const. Mandy Paquet with the Halifax Regional Police. The damage to the European Beech Tree comes four years after about 30 trees had their bark stripped in a much wider act of vandalism. After this one was found, all the other trees were checked and given the all-clear. The damage in the most recent act is being described as significant. The tree has been wrapped in burlap to protect its wounds. “They found a six-to-eight-inch cut in the tree that looks like it was from a hatchet or an axe type weapon,” Paquet says. The municipality says two trees had to be removed after the 2022 incident. The rest are still at varying levels of recovery. No one was caught or charged for the damage. There are cameras here inside the Public Gardens, but they didn’t capture the incident. Police are asking anyone with information to call them at 902-490-5020. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
