Sydney gardener fined over destruction of 287 foreshore trees
A Sydney gardener has been convicted for the illegal clearing of 287 protected trees at a waterfront reserve. The operation, which involved cash payments and hidden logistics, was described as a major act of environmental vandalism.
Why it matters
The case underscores the legal consequences of environmental destruction and the challenges local councils face in protecting public land from private encroachment.
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Share A A A Chainsaws, cash hidden in a shoe and trailerloads of trees and vegetation hauled to a waste facility have culminated in the conviction of a gardener involved in one of Sydney’s most prominent cases of illegal tree-clearing.
Yi Wang, director of Sydney Garden Home, pleaded guilty in the NSW Land and Environment Court to three offences under the Environmental Planning and Assessment Act following an investigation into the unlawful removal of 287 trees from protected foreshore bushland at Woodford Bay Reserve in Longueville in November 2023.
The clearing of about 1210 square metres of public land sparked widespread outrage. Then Lane Cove mayor Scott Bennison described it as the worst act of environmental vandalism in the area’s history.
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