A sculptor from Welland, Ont., has been caught, Niagara police said.
A 40-year-old man was arrested and charged with more than $5,000 in misdemeanor criminal damage for carving detailed faces into the trunks of seven living trees, said Const. Michael Malachowsky of the Niagara Regional Police Service.
The man was also charged Monday with failing to comply with bail conditions in an unrelated case, Malachowsky said in an email.
He remains in jail pending a bail hearing next week.
A police investigation began last month after disturbing faces appeared in trees near Welland City Hall.
Although the Welland Downtown Business Improvement Area Board described them on social media as “unique works of art,” city officials said the cuts have caused irreversible damage.
Welland officials said in a statement that the ability of Norway and Manitoba maples and five cottonwoods to transport nutrients was impaired.
They are now more vulnerable to harmful diseases and pests.
“These [cuts] They not only harm trees, but can also affect the entire tree canopy, which provides shade, oxygen and habitat for wildlife,” the statement reads.
The city anticipates that the trees will need to be cut down within the next few years, costing taxpayers about $8,000.
