Vandals stripped the bark off five silver maple trees adjacent to Dave Kandal elementary in Abbotsford last weekend, upsetting students and staff at the school.
The trees are on property owned by the City of Abbotsford, but principal Lorraine Santos said the school, located at 3551 Crestview Ave., has always enjoyed them.
“We’re devastated by the loss. These trees kind of majestically greeted all of us as we came to school each day,” she said.
The trees were each about 20 feet tall and valued at several thousand dollars. It is not yet known who is responsible for the damage.
Santos said students have been questioning why anyone would tear the bark off the trees, essentially killing them.
“They understand the impact, and they understand the trees are going to die and the insects will attack the trees because they don’t have any bark.”
At a school assembly yesterday, Santos was planning to spend the first 15 minutes discussing the issue with students and how the loss has impacted them.