VANCOUVER -- The Vancouver Park Board is investigating what one city arborist called "disturbing" vandalism to several older heritage trees in Stanley Park.

The damaged trees are mostly located near the new Stanley Park Brewing building, while one is closer to the Second Beach concession stand.

City of Vancouver arborist Joe McLeod said the damaged trees were found over the last several weeks and were first noticed by members of the city's Stanley Park horticultural team.

"They've basically taken what looks like a jack-knife or a sharp object and they appear to be slashing the trees, which a couple of times is one thing, but once you start to get past the bark layer that surrounds the tree and break into that cambium layer, that damage can result in declining health for the trees," he said. The cambium layer is the primary living tissue that drives the growth of the tree, McLeod explained.

With fewer people in the park and the brewery temporarily shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic, McLeod said there could be fewer people providing "passing surveillance" in the park right now, which may have enabled the vandals.

Park rangers will be stepping up their patrols and monitoring the area more closely, but anyone who has any information about the vandalism is asked to contact 311. The park board has also reached out to Vancouver police. On the bright side, McLeod said the trees should be able to recover since the damage is mostly contained to one side of the trunk. But that could change if they sustain further damage.

"If the behaviour continues then unfortunately the trees could enter a state of decline where we would have to remove and replace the trees," he said.

After the damage was found, signs that say "valuable heritage trees, please do not damage" were put up around the trunks with yellow caution tape, but some of the signs have also been slashed or removed entirely, McLeod said.

"I'd really like to ask the individual what it is they're trying to achieve," he said. "It's obviously not the direction we want to go in in terms of stewarding our urban forest."​

He noted that this is just the latest example of vandalism against the city's trees and that incidents like this take place all over the city every year.

"It's not just Stanley Park," he said. "Every year we have multiple occasions where people vandalize trees in seeking out better views or more clearance from their houses."