Trees are being poisoned and vandalised in an area of Belfast in the past week.
At least three trees in the Cherryvale area have been affected in what a councillor has called "the most bizarre thing" he has seen happen in the time he has served the area.
"There hasn't been anything like this in years" said Green Party councillor Brian Smyth. "It's completely bizarre, and very rare."
The trees affected include a pine tree and a Monterey Cyprus tree that are around 150 years old with a collective value of at least £20,000.
The incidents happened in the past week and the matter is being investigated by the PSNI.
They were noticed by landscape architect Peter Mullin, who wrote on Twitter that it was a "textbook tree murder".
Meanwhile, residents in the area are said to be "devastated" by the incidents, which could mean the trees needing to be removed.
Brian said: "I've spoken to the people living behind the trees, and they're just devastated."
The trees, Brian says, are vital to improving Belfast's air quality, with the city already being the most polluted in Northern Ireland according to recent data.
"Obviously, as a member of the Green Party, air quality is one of our priorities, but it's more than that, it's about the people living there."
Brian said the matter has also been brought to the Belfast City Council and there will be a fair investigation into the situation. He added that if the trees need to be removed, he will be asking the council to have them replaced with large, semi-mature trees.
