Sydney council praised for perfect response after tree deliberately damaged

A council has been praised for a “great and petty” move after a tree was believed to be poisoned near a Sydney beach.

A Sydney council has been praised for what one local has described as a welcome “petty” act after a tree was deliberately damaged, causing it to have to be cut down.

Sutherland Shire Council took matters into their own hands following the suspected tree poisoning at Oak Park Beach in Cronulla.

Local woman, Emily Maddison, told news.com.au she recently noticed the tree was “clearly dying”, with a big sign erected in front saying it had been vandalised.

When she next returned to the beach, the tree had been cut down completely, leaving not only the glaring sign, but multiple freshly planted new trees.

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“Trees in this area have been deliberately damaged. Trees are important community assets,” the sign read.

“Council will plant five replacement trees for every tree damaged.”

Ms Maddison recently shared a video to TikTok praising the council’s response, saying they don’t “f**k around when it comes … to trees”.

The 26-year-old theorised the alleged tree poisoning could have been the result of a homeowner wanting a clearer view of the beach, however, this was not confirmed by council.

“They have planted five trees in retaliation that are going to block their view even more,” Ms Maddison said.

Adding in the caption of the video: “The council is so petty for this.”

The Sutherland Shire Council put up this sign following a suspected tree poisoning incident. Picture: @emilymaddison99/TikTok

The council planted five new trees in response. Picture: @emilymaddison99/TikTok

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Speaking to news.com.au, the local woman said she believes this “kind of action from the council is a good deterrent against people poisoning trees to improve their view”.

Ms Maddison added that she thinks every council around the country should adopt a similar response to cases of tree vandalism.

A Sutherland Shire Council spokesperson said the council takes all complaints regarding tree vandalism or the illegal removal of trees “seriously”.

“Council enforces replacement planting to ensure that canopy coverage is created for the future, in adherence with the Urban Tree and Bush Land Policy principle of mitigating loss through responsible offset planting,” the spokesperson told Yahoo News.

“The council encourages locals to contact authorities with any concerns about potential incidents of tree vandalism or the illegal removal of trees on council-owned land.”

According to the sign put up by council, fines of up to $1.1 million may apply for those found to have deliberately damaged trees.

Ms Maddison said the tree was ‘clearly dying’ following the suspected poisoning. Picture: Google Maps

Ms Maddison’s video has gained more than 200,000 views and dozens of comments, with the majority being from people also praising the council for its response.

“It’s so great and petty,” one person said, with another person agreeing, pointing out more trees was also a “win for the environment”.

One person suggested the council should have made the sign “bright pink and neon orange just for extra LOLs”, while another suggested commissioning a “giant sculpture” to stand in place of the tree.

“I’ll forever have a deep hatred for councils. But I love when they do this,” one person wrote.

This isn’t the first time a council has reacted in this manner to trees being vandalised.

The Lane Cove council installed a double-sided red banner after more than 290 trees were illegally destroyed. Picture: Lane Cove Council

This was the area pre-vandalism. Picture: Lane Cove Council

This was after the trees were illegally removed.

Last year, Lane Cove Council followed through with threats to block prized waterside views after almost 300 trees were illegally felled.

A huge double-sided red banner was installed on the foreshore in Longueville, stating “trees shouldn’t die for a view”.

“290+ trees illegally destroyed. Lane Cove stands tall against tree vandalism,” the banner continued.

Lane Cove Mayor Scott Bennison described the illegal clearing as “outrageous” and promised council would seek to prosecute the case with criminal charges.

“I’m sure I speak for all in our community in saying the mass destruction of trees at this scale is outrageous and the culprit needs to be prosecuted to the full extent possible,” he said.