Community leaders in Flushing said vandals have been undoing the hard work of volunteers working with the city’s Parks Department on reforestation efforts in Kissena Park.

“I’m removing invasive vines that envelope the tree and kill the tree,” Laurie Delasandro said while working in the park on Friday.

Delasandro volunteers with the community group Kissena Synergy, which takes care of Kissena Park in Queens. She spends her Friday mornings helping with reforestation efforts there.

Delasandro was introduced to the group by Leona Chin, who’s been leading community efforts with the Parks Department to plant trees in the park. Chin was previously featured on NY1 as a New Yorker of the Week for her volunteer work.

“We take care of the trees,” Chin said. “We help the Parks Department plant. We mulch and maintain.”

The hope is that the trees help absorb flood waters in this flood-prone area. Recently, however, volunteers, including Chin, said vandals have been uprooting newly planted trees and digging deep paths in their place. Community leaders suspect the paths are for mountain bike tracks.

“We were absolutely devastated. We are heartbroken,” she said. “Because of the extent of the depth of the pit, cycling pit, we suspect that machines had to be used unless they had a whole work crew.”

Volunteers tried placing tree limbs and rocks in the path of the bike tracks to obstruct them so they can’t be used, but they say vandals have just been removing them and continuing with their destructive behavior.

“It actually takes a while to plan the trees and make sure they’re nurtured, and they grow,” Councilmember Sandra Ung said. “It’s 300 trees that’s been destroyed and it’s $50 a tree.”

That’s $15,000 of damage. A few weeks ago, City Councilmember Ung saw the progress volunteers had made when she presented Chin with a Proclamation for her park stewardship.

Community leaders say they hope the culprits are caught soon.

“If you walk by this area and you see that something is a little off, something is wrong, do not take it upon yourself. Please contact the NYPD or contact the Parks Department,” Ung said.

Due to the high price and extent of damage, the councilmembers office said police have categorized the vandalism and destruction in the park as felony criminal mischief. If you have information about the crime, contact police through their crime stoppers hotline: 1-800-577-TIPS.