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3rd tree poisoned in Kelowna in less than 1 year

25 holes were drilled into mature tree and filled with herbicide
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It’s not easy being green.

A third tree has been poisoned within Kelowna city limits in the past 12 months, this time on Sunset Drive.

This time, 25 holes were drilled into the tree, before herbicide was poured into them.

The tree is expected to die within the next two to three months, at which point it will be removed by city staff.

“It’s hard to understand how someone in our community would go out of their way to kill a tree like this, to drill 25 holes in it and fill them with herbicide,” said Infrastructure General Manager Mac Logan. “The city will have to recover the cost to eventually remove the tree replace it, but the idea that someone would actively choose to harm their community in this way bothers me greatly. It’s now happened for a third time in less than a year and we as a community need to stop such acts.”

Other acts of tree homicide were committed in the Clarence Greenspace Area and on Manhattan Drive in the past year. The poisoning in the Clarence Greenspace led to the death of six aspen trees due to the connected root system.

An investigation to identify suspects is underway.

Anyone who may have witnessed, or has information relating to, this incident is asked to call the Kelowna RCMP at 250-762-3300 referencing file number 2023-800746.

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@JakeC_16
Jake.courtepatte@kelownacapnews.com

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Jake Courtepatte

About the Author: Jake Courtepatte

Editor of Kelowna Capital News & West K News since February 2022. I have spent the majority of my career working in the Toronto area as both a sports reporter and a general reporter.
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