Bolton Council has condemned vandals who ripped up scores of tree saplings on land close to Hall I’th’ Wood museum.
The young trees were torn up and strewn across a third of a hectare where they were discovered by a member of the public, who alerted the council.
The crime has been reported and Bolton Council has pledged to work closely with police.
The trees were only recently planted in February by volunteers and staff from City of Trees and had taken two days to plant.
Over ten thousand new trees are currently being planted at parks, woods and green spaces across Bolton under plans coordinated by Bolton Council and City of Trees.
The work has been made possible by Nature for Climate funding from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
Cllr Richard Silvester, Bolton Council Executive Member for Climate Change and Environment, said:
“This kind of mindless vandalism is utterly shameful and whoever has done it is a disgrace to themselves and their community.
“Bolton’s green spaces are valued by young and old, and one of the things councillors are most often asked is to plant more trees.
“It’s awful to see trees that could have been enjoyed by generations to come ripped from the ground and I’m determined to find the culprits.”