Taking action on illegal tree felling
It is with sadness that the City of Burnside has unveiled new several banners and signage around the Auldana area. Deemed necessary following the destruction of up to 50 native trees in a reserve at the end of Patrick Auld Drive, these signs will act as community information boards and warnings against further vandalisation.
The City of Burnside is thankful for the assistance from the State Government and Minister Nick Champion for helping to support this project by providing $50,000 funding. These funds will provide protection and development of the site moving forward through:
- Debris cleanup and removal from the site
- installation of new signage and banners
- installation of CCTV cameras
- installation of a walking trail through the area
- creation of a new fund to plant 15 mature trees around the City of Burnside.
The City of Burnside CEO Chris Cowley said the act of destruction had been extremely disappointing.
‘The City of Burnside wants to send an extremely strong message to the community that we will not tolerate this and it must never happen again,’ Chris said.
‘Our message is encouraging the community to be our eyes and ears on the ground. If you hear anything we encourage them to contact us straight away if you see any vandalism going on. We implore our community to help us in this endeavour.’
City of Burnside Mayor Anne Monceaux said the importance of trees to the community both as an aesthetic and environmental asset was paramount.
‘Trees are a part of who we are, they are part of our logo, the tree is a symbol of the City of Burnside,’ Mayor Anne said.
‘The loss of trees is a loss of a community asset, a loss of beauty and a loss of habitat.’
‘We do not want to lose these trees that take tens or even hundreds of years to replace.’
Council Members for Kensington Gardens & Magill Jo Harvey and Kerry Hallett echoed the mayor’s sentiment.
‘This is an important day for trees and creating awareness in our ward and within Adelaide,’ Jo said.
‘Tree vandalism is not the answer, and it costs you, the ratepayer.’
‘Trees should not die for a few,’ Kerry said.
The installation of the signs follows a recent spate of incidents, including the large Auldana cull, in which members of the community had illegally damaged regulated trees.
On Tuesday, 17 October 2023, the City of Burnside was victorious in gaining a successful conviction in a case before the District Court of Adelaide regarding the illegal felling of a regulated tree. The action, which occurred on 22 November 2022, saw the illegal removal of a River Red Gum or similar eucalyptus by workers employed by All State Tree Works.
Council was fortunate that nearby residents reported the illegal action immediately to the City of Burnside employees who were able to arrive on the scene during the act and gather evidence in a timely manner.
Chris Cowley said those who were caught conducting illegal actions towards regulated trees could expect similar consequences.
‘We want to send a very strong message to any member of the community that is seeking to cause damage to our precious tree canopy that we will pursue you. We will leave no stone unturned and will throw the full weight of the law at anyone we can find guilty of having damaged our tree canopy resource.’
The Auldana reserve site was cleared of up to 50 native trees earlier this year.
New signage has been installed at the site and surrounding area informing locals of the event and requesting assistance in finding those responsible.
Pictured left to right: Cr Mike Daws, Mayor Anne Monceaux, Cr Kerry Hallett, Cr Jo Harvey stand in front of the newly installed Auldana banners.
