Outrage as brazen vandals defile beloved 350-year old tree with red spray paint

By ALYSSA GUZMAN, US NEWS REPORTER Published: 19:47, 23 April 2026 | Updated: 19:59, 23 April 2026 Locals were left outraged after a group of brazen vandals defiled a beloved, three-century-old tree with spray paint at a park in Maine.  The Big Old Tree inside Jeremiah Colburn Natural Area has long been enjoyed for its long, twisting branches by the people of Maine for 350 years.  But on Wednesday, members of the Orono Land Trust discovered the ancient tree had been graffitied with red spray paint on its wide trunk.  'Someone thought it nice to destroy the Big Old Tree,' the Trust wrote. 'This is heartbreaking to so many people.'  The initials M and C were sprayed on the trunk, officials said.  'If anyone knows M&C, we’d like to explain why paint is bad for trees,' the Trust wrote.  A local said he was saddened to see the damage, as he remembered the tree from her childhood.  'Too bad people and/or their children feel this is okay to do,' one person wrote on Facebook. 'Hope it can be cleaned up and returned to its natural beauty!'  Vandals damaged the Big Old Tree inside Jeremiah Colburn Natural Area on Earth Day, spraying painting their initials into the bark  Pictured: The tree before it was vandalized. The plant is known for its curling branches   Another wrote: 'This is just so sad.'  'Oh I hope we can remove the paint safely!!' a third chimed in.  A fourth slammed the vandals for damaging the tree on Earth Day, which was Wednesday.  Paint is bad for trees because it suffocates the bark and can cause the plant to rot.  The town is working to restore the tree and get the paint off.  The tree was the catalyst for the formation of the Orono Land Trust, the Bangor Daily News reported in 2022.  The land was originally owned by the Hilton family of New Jersey, but locals used the trails on the properties for years.  Locals were outrages by the damage and hoped the town would be able to fix the tree  In 1986, a 44-acre patch of the land went to the market in the town. A group of volunteers formed the Trust and raised the funds to purchase the land and later donated it to the town.  Now, it is home to 3.5 miles of trails and plenty of pine trees.  No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.