‘It’s very sad’: Residents baffled by vandalism at Halifax Public Gardens
Global News
Some local garden-goers are growing concerned after multiple acts of vandalism, including a fire and tree girdling, at the Halifax Public Gardens in recent months.
Some local garden-goers are growing concerned after multiple acts of vandalism at the Halifax Public Gardens — a site that provides a place of peace and tranquility in the middle of a busy downtown.
“I really love this garden, it’s like heaven for me,” said Ali Mousavi, who often walks through the park with his infant son.
In an interview Saturday, he said he’s disappointed that the gardens have been the target of vandalism over the past few months.
“This kind of park belongs (to) our next generation … so we have to be more careful,” he said.
On Thursday, a fire broke out at the site’s Horticulture Hall, which Halifax Regional Police have deemed an arson. An investigation is now underway.
The fire came two months after 32 trees were vandalized at the Public Gardens in late July, when an unknown vandal or group broke into the Public Gardens and removed strips of bark around the trunk of the trees in an apparent attempt to kill them.
The bark cutting, known as girdling, is a way to kill a tree without cutting it down, as the cambium layer, the part of the tree that produces new wood, is damaged.
Most of the trees were between 50 and 200 years old, and four have been removed since the incident as staff try to save the rest.