<
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/oct/06/australia-tree-wars-need-new-solution>
"After trees along Sydney’s Brighton-Le-Sands beach were hacked down and
poisoned by unknown hands in January to open up the view, the local government
responded in kind.
Bayside council, home to the industrial precinct around Port Botany, dropped a
battered metal shipping container in front of the newly created view, and
commissioned a local artist to decorate it with a mural of fairy wrens and
native flora. It will remain there until replacement trees have grown, says the
mayor, Edward McDougall.
Shipping containers are just one way Australian councils are responding to
illegal tree removals on public land to improve views or boost house prices.
Some hang banners or “shame signs” to block views, or spray-paint “POISONED” on
the trunks of vandalised trees.
These attempts to fight illegal tree destruction – especially in Sydney suburbs
with harbour views – are sometimes called “tree wars”. After a public
consultation, the NSW government is expected to introduce new legislation,
including bigger fines, later this year.
Some councils and advocates have called for jail time for serious offences,
although others say the emphasis should be on prevention, calling on state and
federal governments to give more help to local councils and centralise data in
the face of growing threats to Sydney’s urban tree canopy."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
