There’s a tree killer on the loose in Inwood.
Two tulip trees and 15 pines, sugar maples and hackberry trees in Inwood Hill Park were hacked to their stumps last month in what Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe called the third such “arborcide” there since 2006.
“This might be related to the person who cut down the trees last year,” Benepe said. “It’s a terrible thing. Someone used an ax or a machete on these trees. These are native trees that can grow up to 150 feet tall.”
In March, 30 red cedars were chopped down, meeting the same fate as about two dozen in 2006. And some cottonwoods were also destroyed recently, Benepe said.
The Parks Department is offering a $2,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, and a civilian patrol has been established.
Under city law, destroying a park tree can lead to a $15,000 fine and a year in jail.