Reports of tree vandalism have started up again in Brookings, a trend that has worsened in recent years, according to Brookings Parks, Recreation & Forestry officials.
Kristen Zimmerman, director of the Parks, Recreation & Forestry department, said the vandalism has been “disheartening.”
About 26 trees have been vandalized in the Brookings community this calendar year.
“I know it doesn’t sound like a lot, but it is quite a bit, especially when you look at our boulevard spaces and other factors that are playing into our tree canopy, such as Emerald Ash Borer, Pine Wilt and the Dutch Elm Disease,” Zimmerman said.
Ryan Burggraff is the forestry supervisor at Parks, Recreation & Forestry for the City of Brookings. Five full time staff members manage the nearly 40,000 trees in Brookings, which includes trees in parks, boulevards and shelter belts.
“We have five full time staff that are dedicated to forestry work in our city, so our team is pretty small,” Zimmerman said.
”Our forestry crew works very hard, so any additional work being done is a huge hindrance on what they can do and get accomplished.”
The city spends between $13,000 and $15,000 on trees to plant each year, Burggraff said. This year, the city spent an additional $10,000 on trees from a nursery.
“The city’s doing more than in previous years to combat all the removals we’re doing, because we’re doing way more than we used to with Emerald Ash Borer, “ Burggraff said.
Emerald Ash Borer is a form of beetle that feeds on ash tree species.
Burggraff said there’s typically 300-500 tree removals due to disease in a year. Last year, the city removed about 5,000 trees, he said.
“The resources can’t match the removal rate, so that’s why it’s frustrating when these are getting damaged,” Burggraff said.
“We don’t know for certain who’s damaged the trees,” Bordewyk said. “The pattern would lead one to wonder, you know, if it isn’t students, but there’s no proof of that, but we obviously want the entire community and the SDSU community to be aware of the issue so that we can all work together to protect our trees.”
The trees themselves are relatively inexpensive, just a few hundred dollars, Zimmerman said. The part that gets expensive is the staffing to maintain the trees.
“It’s estimated that a tree costs the city about $1,000 each year, so some of these three year old trees are $3,000 apiece,” Zimmerman said. “So when you multiply that by 26 trees, it adds up really quickly, for sure.”
Burggraff said SDSU student organizations and clubs have volunteered with Parks, Recreation & Forestry to plant trees in the past. is open to having SDSU student organizations or clubs volunteer to plant trees.
If students are interested in volunteering, Zimmerman said to reach out to the Parks, Recreation & Forestry main office.
“There’s no way to prove that this was students, but I would just say to the respective individuals who participated in the vandalism, to just keep in mind that Brookings isn’t your normal college town,” student body president Sophie Spier said.
Spier said SDSU’s good relationship with the city of Brookings sets it apart from other college towns in the U.S.
“We just want to do our best not only to keep that relationship, but to respect it as well,” Spier said. “They do a great job supporting SDSU, so it’s our job as students to treat the city well.”
