After a resident cut down a tall tree to improve the view of Sydney Harbour, a local charity responded by placing a raised sign on the tree to block the view.
“There has been vandalism to trees in this area,” reads the sign in Woolwich, a Sydney suburb on the North Shore where the average house price is more than $5.5 million.
‘The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust protects and manages this land for the enjoyment of the public.
“Such acts of vandalism rob us all of our natural habitat.”
After a photo of the sign was shared on Reddit Sydney, it received a lot of praise.
“I hope whoever did it is spitting. They had a view of the harbour and a nice tree, and now an ugly sign reminding them of their evil deed,” someone said.
“I love this. It would only be better if it lit up at night with a big ugly penis or something,” wrote another.
A third added: ‘Mosman City Council do this for the people who cut down trees on the public path in front of the country houses, but with a much bigger hanging sign. I think it’s great.’
A sign has been erected to block the view of the harbour when a tree was felled on Sydney’s Lower North Shore
The sign, placed by the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, has been applauded by Reddit users
The tree was felled in the affluent suburb of Woolwich, where the average house price is more than $5.5 million
Another said: ‘What a brilliant way to teach people that they can’t just do whatever they want without consequences.’
A spokesperson for the Sydney Harbour Trust warned that anyone caught illegally felling trees could face heavy fines.
“Following this, the Harbour Trust has erected a large sign at the former location of the illegally felled trees to inform the community of the vandalism and encourage anyone with information to contact us to help us preserve and protect our environment,” the spokesperson said.
‘In addition, the Harbour Trust has installed temporary fencing and a security camera to monitor the area with the replanted trees to prevent and deter similar incidents in the future.’
In New South Wales, the maximum fine for illegal tree felling under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979 is $1.1 million for a company and $220,000 for an individual.
The actual fine imposed may be significantly less than the maximum penalty and is typically between $1,000 and $100,000 per violation.