White Rock Lake. Photo by Renee Umsted.

Several months ago, the Dallas Park and Recreation Department saw a group of people trimming trees near the shore of White Rock Lake.

Sign up for our newsletter

* indicates required

When the maintenance team asked them what they were doing, they drove away in their trucks.

The park department doesn’t know who the tree trimmers were or why they were cutting the trees, says Dallas Park and Recreation Board member Maria Hasbany, so no fines were issued.

Many of the limbs toward the base of the trees were removed. The tree trimming was happening in front of a house under construction on W. Lawther Drive.

Trimmed trees at White Rock Lake. Photo courtesy of Mike DeGroot in Save White Rock Lake via Facebook.

This was the most recent incident of illegal tree trimming at White Rock Lake, and it happened before the winter maintenance of the park. But it is far from the only time something like this has happened.

The Advocate reported on unauthorized tree cutting near White Rock Lake in Lake Highlands Park at Peavy Road and E. Lake Highlands Drive.

If park users and neighbors see unauthorized crews trimming or pruning trees, they should call 311 or 911, Hasbany says.

“It shall be unlawful for any person to disturb any of the shrubbery or trees and particularly the pecan trees growing upon the lands adjacent to White Rock and included within the White Rock Lake Reservoir and Bachman Lake Reservoir,” according to Chapter 32 of the Dallas City Code.