Perth group baffled by signs spray painted onto trees

Members of a conservation community group have been left scratching their heads after mysterious markings were sprayed onto numerous trees at two Perthshire nature spots.

Marian Coburn, head of the Kinnoull Hill Woodland Park Group, spotted orange and pink arrows sprayed on over 20 trees on Kinnoull Hill last week.

Similar markings had been seen on a number of trees in the nearby Barnhill area.

Group head Marian revealed the those responsible for the vandalism remain a mystery, and is concerned whether the “unsightly” markings will be permanent.

“They look like route markings but no one is forthcoming,” she said.

“There are markings in Kinnoull Hill and Barnhill and they have sprayed a lot of trees.

“In Kinnoull Hill there are definitely more than 20 trees that have been sprayed.

“It is a big job.

“You see tree markings now and again but in my five years here I haven’t seen anything like this.

“It is very over the top.

“Someone said it could be water-based paint but how long is that going to be until that fades?”

Marian feels the most likely explanation is that a cycling event was held in the area sometime this month.

However, she noted that the community group is generally notified of such events - but was not on this occasion.

“It is for some kind of cycling event I think and is definitely marking out a route,” she added.

“I don’t know what the procedure is so we went down the route of notifying the council.

“Perth and Kinross Council don’t seem to know anything about it.

“They have competitions like the Enduro, but there is no spray painting for that.

“If an event is held the area usually left as it was found.

“It may be a smaller bike club, or people who do not realise what they are doing, who got carried away with themselves.

“No efforts have been made by those who organised it to clean it up - it is unsightly.

“Cyclists on the [Kinnoull group] page often share on there when there is an event, so some information usually comes back to us.

“We will need to check the paint to see what kind it is. Perhaps the weather could wash it off.

“But we are not sure how much time that will take.”