WEST LEBANON — Police are investigating after vandals harmed six trees that the city’s tree advisory board planted at Riverside Park last month.

The vandalism at the park off Glen Road in West Lebanon likely took place over the weekend, said Rick Desharnais, Lebanon Recreation, Arts and Parks Department’s sports coordinator.

Some of the trees were broken and destroyed entirely, while others were uprooted.

A department employee discovered the damage Monday morning, Desharnais said. The department reported the vandalism to the police later that day.

“We have an open investigation with no leads at this time,” Lebanon Police Chief Phil Roberts said Tuesday. “Unfortunately there’s no cameras in that area and we have not identified any witnesses or anyone who has information on this.”

Recently, the city had fiber internet installed at Riverside Park, which will allow the department to install cameras. While those discussions are ongoing, no decision has been made yet, Desharnais said.

Riverside Park, named for its location on the Mascoma River, includes a pavilion, playground and horseshoe pit. It is also home to Rusty Berrings Skatepark.

Volunteers, with assistance from the Department of Public Works, planted the six, roughly 10-foot trees, roughly 1-to-2 inches in diameter, on Oct. 18, said Susan Johnson, who serves as vice chair of the Lebanon Tree Advisory Board. Three of the trees were swamp white oaks and three were Kentucky coffeetrees.

After hearing about the destruction, Johnson headed down to the park. All six of the plantings were damaged in some way. Three were destroyed beyond saving.

Johnson was able to replant one that was only slightly damaged and she was hopeful it would survive. Another had a giant crack in the trunk.

“I don’t know if that can’t survive, but I replanted it anyway,” Johnson said.

The sixth one was cracked in half. Johnson took that to replant at her own home, with the hope that it would rebound and she could replant it at the park next spring.

She estimated that the total cost of the damage is around $2,000.

The tree plantings are part of a larger effort to plant 220 trees throughout the city by April 2028, Johnson said.

The work is being funded through a nearly $245,000 grant from the Urban and Community Forestry Program of the U.S. Forest Service. Each tree costs $200 to $400, depending on the species, Johnson said.

So far, volunteers have planted 65 trees. Next year, they aim to plant 120 on city-owned property, as well as on property owned by businesses and homeowners, if they are open to it.

“It seemed very intentional, very thorough,” Johnson said of the damage. “Someone was like: ‘I’m going to kill every one of these trees,’ and went systematically through.”

The vandals also pulled up the stakes surrounding the trees, which helped stabilize them.

“It feels personal,” Johnson said.

Vandalism at Riverside Park has been minimal over the years, said Desharnais, who has worked for the department for 15 years. Occasionally, employees will have to remove or paint over graffiti at the skate park or under the pavilion.

“I don’t even know if we’ve ever had a porta potty knocked over there,” he said. “I was definitely surprised by the trees just because it wasn’t one I’ve seen before and I don’t know why someone would want to hurt a young tree.”

The recreation department oversees more than a dozen facilities, including Pat Walsh Park and Ice Rinks, Lebanon Veterans Memorial Pool and Colburn Park. Roberts said the police investigate a few cases of vandalism at those properties per year.

“This is not a common occurrence,” Roberts said. “This is definitely a different one where someone would pull up freshly planted small trees.”

The person responsible for the vandalism could face a charge of criminal mischief which can be a misdemeanor or felony, depending on the cost of the damage, Roberts said.