Vandals have destroyed almost a kilometre of trees on High Road, which were part of a community greening project.
Students and community members took part in a mass planting earlier this month in which 70 trees were planted alongside High Road in Riverton.
The planting was supported by the City of Canning as part of their aims to increase greenery in urban areas throughout Canning.
A week later, more than 15 of the plants had been destroyed, with damage to many more.
Canning city councillor Patrick Hall said it was difficult to put into words how much disappointment he felt towards the vandalism.
“I was here just a week ago, promoting the mass planting and really feeling pride in how the community wanted to make a genuine difference to where they lived,” he said.
Mr Hall said the planting was a concerted effort on behalf of the City and community to increase liveability in the highly built-up area.
“The planting is not just about beautifying the area. Through research in the Green Growth Plan, we know that the urban centre of Canning is one of the hottest parts of Perth, and we know this is partly due to the lack of trees and parklands in urban areas.”
Mr Hall said he hoped an understanding of why the trees were planted might prevent the same happening in the future.
“People may not realise that the trees are there for more than just looking good,” he said.
“If people understand what we’re trying to do here, the hope is everyone will be on board in keeping an eye on and reporting anything unusual.
“If been in contact with the City and they’ve told me that the estimated replacement cost for each tree is around $300. Extend that out to 15, 20 trees and you can see how expensive it gets.”
Any witnesses to the vandalism were asked to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000 or make a report online at crimestopperswa.com.au
