Someone used heavy machinery to remove trees from an area of Washburn Park sometime before May 14.

On Tuesday, Town Administrator Paul Dawson told Selectmen that an “extensive area” was cleared of trees near a pond behind the park’s ball fields. Dawson and board members were stymied as to how such a large area was cleared without anyone noticing.

“It’s a mystery,” said Dawson. “Nobody knows who did it…You can see by the amount that was cleared that this took, at a minimum, a full days worth of work if not more.”

The damage occurred sometime before Wednesday, May 14 when the Department of Environmental Protection notified the town’s Conservation Commission about the damage. It’s likely that a resident called the Department of Environmental Protection Dawson said.

The “illegal” work violated wetland protection laws according to Dawson. Tire tracks were found near the water’s edge. Along the shore soil had been dumped into the pond. If someone had been permitted for the work bylaws require it be performed at least 100 feet from a wetland.

“All of this work was done without consultation to the town and without any permits,” Dawson said.

Police have been asked to step up patrols in the area. The Conservation Commission will visit the site soon to investigate.

Selectmen and Dawson pondered when the damage occurred. They concluded it probably wasn’t at night when neighbors would have reported the noise. Then again, no one reported seeing heavy machinery enter the park during the day.

“I don’t know what to make of it,” Dawson said.

Selectman Jody Dickerson suggested installing security cameras at the park. Dickerson, who is the town’s recreation director, noted cameras were installed at Silvershell Beach a couple of years ago.

“We’ve had zero vandalism in that area since the cameras were put in,” he said. “[The cameras] paid for themselves.”