Workers have begun pulling small trees within the fenced G20 restricted zone in downtown Toronto out of the ground as a security precaution.

Several young trees near the Rogers Centre were removed Tuesday, and some on Front Street near the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, the site of the G20 summit.

They will be replanted following the conclusion of the summit, which runs Jun 26-27, said Const. Wendy Drummond of the Toronto Police Service.

Part of the reason the trees were removed is also because "any damage done to the young saplings would kill them," said Drummond.

She said authorities are also wary of "anything can be used as weapons" by protesters.

The trees that have been removed are small saplings with wire supports connected to metal stakes planted on either side, she said.

"The metal stakes pose an obvious threat," she added.

Police may also remove other young trees within the fenced zone if they feel they can be uprooted by "a couple of adults." She couldn't provide a height criteria for removal.

It wasn't clear how many trees stand to be removed.