L.A.’s fragile urban canopy was dealt a vicious blow this weekend when a chainsaw-wielding vandal cut down a number of shade 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 it had no information about the tree destruction, and an email and phone call to the city’s Urban Forestry Division went unanswered Sunday.
Social media images showed a number of trees that were severed at the base, while others were cut several feet above the pavement. A few of the felled trees were still connected to their trunks by just a thread of bark or wood.
According to Reddit user TipTapMyWipWap, every tree between 1st Street and Wilshire Avenue was cut down. However, a review of photos suggests a few remain standing.
Photos from Instagram show downed trees at the intersections of Olympic Avenue and Hope Street, Olympic Avenue and Figueroa Street, and Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue.
A number of the trees appeared to be a drought-resistant species known as Indian laurel fig, or Ficus microcarpa.
Trees provide myriad benefits to urban areas. They capture stormwater runoff, replenish groundwater and slow the deterioration of streets. They also clean the air and help to cool areas that are experiencing increasingly hot temperatures due to global climate change and the built environment. One study by the UCLA Luskin Center found that shade can reduce heat stress in the human body by 25% to 30% throughout the day.
Social media users condemned the culprits, and some noted that the cuts were done just ahead of Earth Day.
“So, eco terrorism on the day where most are having their earth day celebrations? Seems very intentional,” said user @Janky-Ciborium-138.
Others wondered whether it was a grand conspiracy by someone who wanted the trees down but didn’t want to go through the red tape of city bureaucracy.
“Someone needed these trees removed — either some city employee or private developer — and decided this was way easier than getting actual permission,” said @Difficult_Collar4336.
Many noted that security cameras are omnipresent, so video evidence should be available for investigators to review.