Hundreds of young trees vandalized at Kissena Park in Flushing, Queens: NYPD

FLUSHING, Queens (WABC) -- In a concrete city where nature makes a difference, hundreds of brand new, young trees were ripped from the ground in Queens.

For the last two years, volunteers have planted about 2,000 trees in Kissena Park, in attempts to reforest this urban oasis.
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Except sometime last week, police say vandals uprooted at least 300 newly-planted saplings. There's evidence that mature trees were also hacked to allegedly create a trail for dirt bikes.

Right next to the path of destruction is the popular velodrome, a race track for cyclists.

The loss is considered devastating, with each tree reportedly costing about $50. Multiply that by 300, and it's a $15,000 act of destruction.

The high price tag doesn't include all the volunteer hours, but it does make the act of vandalism a felony.



Authorities are now asking for the public's help to make an arrest.
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