The vandals are back. Last night we got this message from DKG:
“Just returned from a walk around the park with Chris S. Unfortunately the vandals are back. Four trees have been ring barked in the copse in Village Green, the same area where we had trouble last year. If it was children they knew what they were doing, looking closely at the damage, they were not using small pocket knives.
I dread to think what will be damaged next. Especially with the summer holidays approaching. Once people think it’s a good idea to damage trees in this way, where/what next? “
Chris Seymour, who was with DKG when the vandalism was discovered emailed this:
“The trees will die because they have been totally ringed of bark. Some are stripped right down to the ground. This behaviour is unacceptable and we need to do our best to prevent it from happening again. I’m sure together we can stop this.”
Again, we hope it is the thoughtlessness of children rather than the deliberate killing of the park’s trees. If anybody can throw any light on this or can help us prevent a repeat attack, please contact us.
FoSCP
Header picture by Chris Jordon Seymour; others as captioned
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 
Like you, I hope it is careless ignorance. The thought of anybody deliberately killing the park’s trees is really upsetting.
Just utter mindless vandalism and it looks like they enjoyed a fire. Just imagine the damage this could have cause with a stray spark.
It seems to me that this damage was done by people who do not have a garden. If you have a garden you have more respect for plants than to mindlessly attack them. It is really sad that everyone cannot have access to a garden, to work positively, to see plants grow and even to eat the results of ones efforts. Gardening eases the mind and alleviates a lot of life’s problems .
If the vandals read this they could volunteer to help in the country park. Some trees have to be down to allow others to grow, but those are carefully selected. I am sure that we Friends of Southwick Country Park can forgive if they are prepared to help us. Are they brave enough?
An excellent point. People have become detached from their environment; they look at it through the lens of a camera and miss all the important details. Plants have become weeds, insects have become pests and whole industries have grown up to help kill the pests and eradicate the weeds. We have to think again.
Do you know, I think you are right, gardening is so valuable in so many ways, I agree with you.
Hello This could be caused by deer? What is the evidence that is is children?
There are the marks of a tool (chisel or knife) high upon the tree trunks, and the stripped bark was left on the ground though some attempt had been made to burn some. Deer leave shredded and frayed edges when they eat bark and their bottom teeth leave distinctive marks; our local deer are roe which would not be able reach up much more a metre.
Children make hideouts in the copse and build bivouacs there, which is fine as long as no damage is done.
We don’t believe this was malicious; we think that whoever did this just did not understand that they were, in effect, killing the tree.
This is grey squirel damage!! Google it, the woodlands tv videos show this damage. Happens in May time when squirrels are trying to get sap.
We do see grey squirrel damage in the park; this is not the same.
Signs need to be erected urgently warning park visitors to be aware of huge deer roaming the park and to be especially aware of Grey Squirrels carrying knives.
Oh, and they are able to light fires, build dens and enjoy cider and partial to Walkers crisps.
Smoking gun, now you’re just being silly….
FoSCP agree that children are too often blamed for things they haven’t done, and we understand the impulse to look for other causes but sometimes the evidence is, as you say, pretty much undeniable. The park has always been an open invitation to adventurous children and this is not a problem until there is damage done.
I think we are inclined to blame children sometimes so that we can say, “They don’t know what they are doing.” Adults, on the other hand, do know what they are doing and that can be a much more disturbing thing to admit.