Harbour views blocked by huge warning sign after tree poisoning

NORTH Sydney Council has placed a huge sign in front of a poisoned tree with harbour views at Waverton.

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A TREE in Waverton with harbour views has had a large warning sign placed in front of it after vandals allegedly poisoned it.

The tree appears to be poisoned from the base and North Sydney Council is ­offering a $10,000 reward for information. The penalty could be up to $1.1 million.

“If a tree has been vandalised we put a sign up to bring to community attention that this has occurred,” said Robert Emerson, the council’s director of open space and environment services.

“I’m sure a number of people are very unhappy about the sign.”

The dead Sydney red gum was part of a batch of 20 trees council planted in Carradah Park in 2004. Just one of the trees has survived vandals.

“We spent a lot of time with the community to work out where they would be ­located to minimise the view impact,” Mr Emerson said.

“Only one is left. It’s not in the view corridor. It’s been disappointing to say the least. We’ve had trouble fundamentally from when they went in. We were hopeful with this one.”

The council is disappointed that the tree has died.

Mr Emerson explained that the trees thin out as they get older and that any view interrupted would have been filtered through the branches.

The dead tree was about 7m high and the problem was first noticed in ­November.

Mr Emerson assumes that it has been poisoned because of the views.

“It’s really sad,” he said.

He said there have been incidents of tree vandalism in the local government area in the past but fewer than ­expected given the number of trees and harbour views.

“When it happens it’s a disaster for the community,” he said. “Generally people in North Sydney value the urban forest.”

The sign warns that the penalty could be up to $1.1 million.

North Sydney Council does not have significant evidence about who poisoned the tree. The council intends to replace all of the trees that were destroyed.

The reward is offered for information leading to a successful prosecution and anyone with information is urged to contact North Sydney Council.

A report on the issue is ­expected to go to the council in March.

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