It’s been five years since they were heartlessly vandalized, but the sycamore trees along St. Mary’s are thriving. Or at least surviving. This is a big relief, and inspiring to see on a Sunday-morning walk.
The neighborhood showered love and attention on the trees that line the waterfront walkway in St. Mary’s once someone, under cover of night and with a nor’easter as a diversion, sliced into their trunks in the hopes of handing the trees a slow death sentence. That was March 2010.
The prognosis initially was dire, but three years ago, the Post reported that most or all the 10 trees remaining will pull through. Turns out that was true. Fifteen were girdled by the vandal, and five were deemed unsalvageable. But that only spurred more plantings to join the 10 mature trees that pulled through. If someone did this to improve their water view (and I’m not sure that’s the case) the dirty deed would have backfired. It’s hard to imagine why else someone would go through so much effort to inflict so much damage. Yet I don’t know anyone who lives along the boulevard capable of such a thing.
The city likely has a culprit in mind, but lacks evidence to pursue charges. So officially, the tree-hater is at large.