Residents of a south Dublin, Ireland, suburb were left “stunned” after a vandal destroyed about 75 trees in a popular park in April.

According to The Irish Times, the perpetrator caused damage of at least €33,000 (more than $36,000) by felling 25 cherry blossom trees in full bloom and 50 young trees of various native species in Firhouse’s Dodder Valley Park.

Officials believe the perpetrator used an electric saw to partially cut down the trees, then violently broke the trunks, causing irreparable damage.

Councillor and then Mayor of South Dublin Alan Edge visited the scene after a resident alerted local police to the crime and described the situation as an “appalling act of vandalism”. He said it was “bizarre that anyone would go to such lengths” and that the timing of the incident during the cherry blossom season “adds to the outrage”.

“A lot of local people are really angry because so much work has been done on Dodder Valley Park,” Edge told the Times. “I think it’s fair to say that the council as a landowner is furious. People are really shocked as to why someone would do something like that.”

Community groups have worked with provincial authorities over the past five years to invest €4 million (nearly $4.4 million) annually to plant and maintain thousands of trees in the park.

It is particularly disturbing given the benefits trees provide by removing global warming gases from the atmosphere, providing habitat for wildlife, and improving mental health. Yet people continue to damage or remove trees without understanding the far-reaching consequences of their actions.

This incident also marked the second time in the past year that someone has deliberately cut down trees in Dodder Valley Park.

“It’s just awful for all of us who put so much time into this beautiful park,” said Caragh Coote, a volunteer with Dodder Action, of the latest attack.

“I think it’s outrageous that the hard work of the council is being undone by someone who has come here prepared with a saw to cut down beautiful trees and destroy the site,” a local resident told RTÉ News in an interview.

While it is unclear if and when South Dublin County Council will replant the trees, the hope is that they will follow in the footsteps of conservationists in England’s Northumberland National Park and indigenous leaders in the Amazon by restoring Dodder Valley Park to its original state.

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