Residents uneasy after vandals chop trees in local Raleigh park

Marianne Bradford lives near Fallon Park, just inside the Beltline between Royster Street and Oxford Road, and said she first noticed cuts to the trees last week. So far, she's counted about seven that have been cut in half or in the trunk.

"It's very disturbing for a lot of us who love this park and spend time out here," she said. "It's our park. It's where we live. It's our neighborhood."

Bradford said she noticed cuts to about seven trees over the past week. 

“I think there’s a lot more ways to get your frustration out than on trees,” she said.

Zach Manor is an urban forester for Raleigh Parks and Recreation and said the vandalism was probably done by kids old enough to use a handsaw. 

"From the looks at it, it seems pretty random to me," Manor said. "We're treating it just like a normal vandalism situation."

Manor estimates that the vandalism likely started about a month ago and is happening mostly at night, since the park is well-used during the day.

"Raleigh is known as the City of Oaks – a city in a forest," he said.