Hornsby Council Erect Banner After Suspected Tree Poisoning

Hornsby Council have erected a banner following the suspected poisoning of a 100-year-old turpentine tree, amid a string of similar incidents in the area. 

The council has tied a banner to the tree on Goodlands Avenue in Thornleigh, which states, “This tree has been poisoned”, urging anyone with information about what happened to the tree to come forward.

The turpentine tree makes up a large part of the critically endangered Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest, which is currently listed as a critically endangered ecological community. 

Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest grows in 23 suburbs and rural areas within Hornsby Shire, in and amongst the places where over 118,000 people live.

What is the Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest?

The Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest is a type of bushland with tall, straight trees. Its name comes from the dominant Turpentine (Syncarpia glomulifera) and Grey Ironbark (Eucalyptus paniculata) trees. In a healthy Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest, individuals can see other plants of various shapes and sizes, including trees such as the Grey Gum (Eucalyptus punctata).

The Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest has specific soil and rainfall requirements which, when added together, limit where it can grow. 

The trees and plants that make up Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest need more fertile soils than the sandstone-derived soils found in Sydney’s large national parks. It grows in areas with rainfall of 800 mm to 1,100 mm per annum. 

Only 0.5% of Sydney turpentine remains 

The combined area of the Sydney Turpentine-Ironbark Forest and the Blue Gum High Forest once covered 46,000 hectares, but just 0.5 per cent of the original distribution remains in Ku-ring-gai due to land clearing. 

The ecological community is protected under both NSW and Commonwealth legislation.  

A spokesperson for Hornsby Council said the tree had been assessed by two council arborists who found eight drill holes in the trunk.

“Assessment of the upper canopy indicates that the tree was poisoned by the dead leaves that are retained on the branches,” the spokesperson said, as reported by 9 News. 

“Most of the canopy is dead, and it is unlikely the tree will recover,” the spokesperson said.

Hornsby mayor Warren Waddell told Nine that the council were investigating a number of suspected tree poisoning incidents across the Hornsby shire. 

“As the Bushland Shire, maintaining and reinforcing our tree canopy is a high priority for the Council,” Waddell said.

“Our staff are investigating the circumstances behind this suspected poisoning.”

Earlier in January, a 100-year-old Port Jackson fig tree in Horse Paddock was found with drilled holes and poisoned. The tree was one of eight in Woolwich, Sydney’s lower north shore, that had been poisoned in the area, with approximately another 30 trees cut down. 

In New South Wales, removing a tree without permission from authority can result in fines and penalties. 

In NSW, under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act 1979, the maximum fine for illegal tree removal in NSW is $1.1 million for a corporation and $220,000 for an individual.