A reward is being offered by the city's parks department after nearly 20 trees were recently discovered chopped down inside Manhattan's Inwood Hill Park. NY1's Amanda Farinacci filed the following report.

Signs are posted all over Inwood Hill Park after the Parks Department said its employees discovered 17 trees chopped down and left to rot across the 200-acre park.

"We have serial tree killer operating in Inwood Hill Park. Right around this time last year somebody killed 35 red cedar trees, obviously deliberately. Now we've got another 17 over the last week or so," said Parks Department Commissioner Adrian Benepe.

Among the damaged trees -- pines, sugar maples, and young tulip.

"I think it's stupid cause this is a great resource here. I mean we have eagles, possums, raccoons, skunks and to ruin it is stupid," said Anthony Lagonigro, an Inwood resident.

The damaged trees were found mostly along walking paths remotely located in the huge park. Residents say the attacks must have taken place in the middle of the night because many who frequent the park and enjoy its paths say they would have noticed someone cutting down the trees.

"They are robbing our city because it's our forest. It's the only natural forest in Manhattan and it feels a little violated because if it's not yours you should not take it," said Natalie Chapin, an Inwood resident.

This isn't the first time trees in the park have met this fate.

Park officials say 35 eastern red cedars were found cut down last March and 28 were killed in November 2006.

"I'm upset by it because this park is the only part of Manhattan that's the way it was before we got here. And some of these trees are that old, so it's a shame," said Scott Rachelson, an Inwood resident.

The Parks Department is offering a $2,000 reward to anyone with information about the attacks.