Dozens of trees cut on parkland

Police investigating illegal act on town-owned property
By Travis Mealing Midland Mirror Dec 24, 2010 Dozens of trees cut on parkland. Parks lead hand Pete Wright, left, and Midland bylaw enforcement officer Jim Reichheld stand at the site where two men illegally cut down about 40 trees on town-owned parkland. Police are investigating the incident. Travis Mealing photo MIDLAND – Two men wielding chainsaws illegally cut down about 40 trees on town-owned property overlooking Midland Bay on Sunday.
“It’s more of a greenbelt than groomed parkland,” said Pete Wright, lead hand with the town’s parks and recreation department. “But the site will need to be cleaned up and replanted.”
The stand of oak, ash and maple trees was situated at the end of Bayport Boulevard, a dead-end road in the partly occupied Bayport Village development now under construction east of Sunnyside Drive.
A citizen walking a dog spotted the culprits around 5 p.m. on Dec. 19, and reported the incident to Midland police about an hour later. Two men were observed driving away from the scene in a dark grey SUV and a wood-panelled station wagon.
A consulting arborist who happened to be in Midland carrying out a tree inventory inspected the site and assessed the damage. The cost of cleanup and replacement will be “substantial,” said Wright, suggesting it could surpass several thousand dollars.
Midland police have opened an investigation into the incident. If the culprits are found, they could be convicted of mischief. Cutting down trees on town-owned land also contravenes a municipal bylaw.
Sgt. Pete DeCourcy said investigators have their suspicions about the case, but declined to go into detail.
Theft for firewood is an unlikely motive, as none of the trees seemed to have been transported from the site, instead being left where they fell.
An unoccupied new home sits adjacent to the land where the trees once stood, its view of Midland Bay now largely unobstructed.
Anyone with information about this crime can contact Midland police at 526-2201.