More than 100 trees along Forest Lane in Dallas butchered

A once beautiful section of trees on Forest Lane by LBJ Freeway now looks more the setting for a horror movie.

About 100 trees were butchered in a way that may cause some of them to die. Certified arborist Steve Houser says that the damage done to these trees is irreparable.

“It’s like me cutting your diet by 100 percent,” Houser said. “You can’t replenish your food source until you replenish your foliage.”

The owner of the land is building a self-storage facility, which will be managed by CubeSmart. CubeSmart says it had no part in the destruction of the trees. Platinum Construction, which is responsible for the pruning of the trees, issued a response on Monday.

"Platinum Construction strives to make sure our sites beautify the communities they are built in," the company said.

Platinum Construction also explained why it committed the act.

"In the case of this property the trimming was initiated for several reasons, including but not limited to erosion control, surface drainage issues, ground cover issues, overgrowth, visibility and limitation of damages to the existing improvements and building."

A city ordinance requires property owners to replace trees that have been cut down, which may be why the owner mauled the trees instead of completely taking them down.

But future tree protection could be in jeopardy if Gov. Greg Abbott gets his way. He has placed the topic of restricting cities from regulating what happens to trees on private property on the upcoming special session agenda.

The chopping occurred in Dallas City Councilwoman’s Jennifer Staubach Gates’ council district. She says that the city will hold the perpetrator responsible.

“It truly is a horrific sight. They’re butchered,” Gates said.

The City of Dallas tells FOX4 that notices of violation will be issued by the end of Tuesday for irreparable damage done to protected trees.

Platinum Construction does not think there was any wrongdoing.

"At this point, Platinum does not believe we have violated the City's ordinances," the company said. "There is no doubt that pruning the trees was necessary for many reasons."