Work on felling 13 pine trees at Auckland's Western Springs has gone on hold today after vandals entered the site overnight and laid barbed wire and twine between the trees.
Auckland Council community facilities general manager Rod Sheridan said contractors discovered the vandalism this morning "in a manner designed to compromise the safety of council staff and contractors".
"We are raising this incident with police as we cannot tolerate the safety of our staff and contractors being put at risk.
"Once police have concluded their scene examination we will clear the site. The emergency tree felling work has been put on hold while this work takes place."
Treescape, the contractor employed by council to remove the pine trees, was due to start work this morning after council delayed work for 24 hours on Monday for further discussions with affected neighbours.
Protesters are planning to occupy the back sections of three houses in West View Rd where Auckland Council has asked residents to evacuate for safety reasons while the trees are removed.
Today, Occupy Garnet Rd stalwart Lisa Prager and Wendy Gray, who has gathered 755 signatures on a petition asking council to drop the clearfelling and to manage the forest by "surgical removal of only trees predisposed to failure", set up in the back yard of one of the three closest houses to the works.
Sheridan said council has a legal responsibility to not only protect the safety of staff and contractors, but also remove the danger to residents and property when it is aware of council assets that pose risks.
It is using emergency provisions under the Unitary Plan to remove 13 pine trees considered to be at immediate risk of falling.
The council has also applied for resource consent to clearfell all 200 remaining trees in a 3.2ha block behind the Western Springs lake.
Planning commissioners have asked the council to answer questions about a separate resource consent application to clearfell the trees and build a road and a large processing area at the site, zoned a Significant Ecological Area.