Vandal Takes a Chainsaw to LA's Trees

Someone apparently decided Los Angeles wasn't hot enough and took a chainsaw to its urban canopy. The alleged vandal cut down dozens of shade trees in the downtown area between Friday night and Saturday morning, witnesses tell CBS News. Photos shared on social media show many large trees cut down at the base, including along South Grand Avenue and Olympic Boulevard. Trees were seen lying in the road at the intersections of Olympic Boulevard and Hope Street, Olympic Boulevard and Figueroa Street, Broadway and Cesar Chavez Avenue, Grand Avenue and Fifth Street, and Hope Street and Ninth Street, per CBS and the Los Angeles Times. Police said they had no information on the vandalism.

A rep for Mayor Karen Bass described the vandalism as "beyond comprehension" and said crews were "making plans to quickly replace these damaged trees." One man surveying the damage on Sunday was at a loss to explain the reason. "I don't know why someone would take away from the trees, especially in downtown which is not a lot of opportunity for trees to grow," he told CBS. "These are parts of our infrastructure ... that have an invaluable health benefits and other benefits to the residents," added amateur arborist Stephanie Carrie. However, she noted the vandal may have targeted the laurel fig tree, a drought-resistant species that is no longer planted in LA because its aggressive root system can damage sidewalks and streets. A number of the downed trees appeared to be laurel figs, per the Times. (More Los Angeles stories.)