Killara local fined $10,000 for illegally hacking down 24-metre pine tree

In a rare win for North Shore councils fighting to stop illegal tree removal, a Ku-ring-gai property owner has faced court and been slapped with a fine for hacking down a tree without permission.

What happened: The successful prosecution was a result of Ku-ring-gai Council’s recently instated 24/7 tree hotline, where residents can report any suspected illegal tree removal or damage. 

• After receiving a tip-off about the removal, a council officer drove down to find “a crane and woodchipper packing up and a pile of freshly felled timber on the council verge”. 

Farewell forest: According to a council media release, the victim of the crime was a 24-metre Norfolk Island Pine. The case went before Hornsby Local Court in April, where the property owner was sentenced for removing a tree without applying for council consent. 

A penalty of $10,000 was imposed, and prosecutors were awarded costs of $4,800.

What it means: Mayor Christine Kay claimed the prosecution confirms Ku-ring-gai Council’s commitment to protecting and maintaining its urban tree canopy. 

• An LGA’s urban canopy is determined via aerial imagery, and does not include non-urban areas such as national parks.
  

• A 2022 survey by Ku-ring-gai Council found urban canopy to have shrunk by 1.4 percent over a period of two years.

Do it right: While many cases of illegal removal have been reported across the North Shore, legal pathways for the removal of healthy trees remain available. 

City planners, arborists, locals and councillors have all expressed to the Lorikeet the current system of approval for legal tree removal prioritises development over the maintenance of healthy trees.

Thumbnail: Ku-ring-gai Council