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!' 

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. 

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.