A cherry orchard near M-72 in west Grand Traverse County has apparently lost several acres of trees to vandals.
Michael Kroupa owns the 110-acre Legacy Orchards. He discovered 428 trees toppled over when he went out to do fall pesticide spraying. The trees were apparently cut half way through with a hand saw.
"There's probably four-or-five acres that's ruined. Our last six years of work," he says.
Most of the trees were about six years old.
Kroupa says insurance may not cover the damage.
"We're trying to figure that out right now," he says. "Far as I know, they're not right now. Basically have to cut them down, work them out and put new ones in next year, hopefully."
A few farmers are offering a $10,000 dollar reward for information leading to an arrest.
An official with the Leelanau County Sheriff's Department says that county has seen two much smaller, but similar cases of vandalism this fall. In one case, the vandalism was to a vineyard.
Kroupa says Grand Traverse County deputies have been to the property looking for footprints and finger prints, but the ground was too hard. Officials say they have no leads.
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