By ANNA USHER

Mosman Council has removed a replacement tree on the Balmoral foreshore and planted another, after vandals struck again.

Mosman Collective understands the 200-litre Port Jackson fig, installed in May, was poisoned, as the hunt continues for the person targeting beachfront trees.

The new tree went in on Wednesday, and council says CCTV and its new tree compliance officer are part of a wider crackdown.

“A second replacement tree, which will have temporary netting placed around it, and a new larger banner have been installed on site,” a Mosman Council spokesperson told Mosman Collective.

“The previous replacement tree had unfortunately been subjected to several acts of vandalism, as were two larger trees nearby.”

The young fig was planted between two trees that were illegally pruned in December 2025, and vandals snapped its main leader on the evening of 23 July.

Councillors voted unanimously on 1 September to install security cameras along the foreshore between the Tram Shed and Raglan St, with an estimated budget of $125,000.

The cameras will not be monitored live; Mosman Collective reported in September that footage will be reviewed only after an incident.

Council created a dedicated tree compliance officer role in May, after recording 159 cases of tree vandalism across the Mosman LGA in five years and issuing just 38 fines.

“Additional measures we’re taking in a bid to help deter acts of vandalism include installation of CCTV and having a tree compliance officer on staff at Council to strengthen investigations, monitoring and compliance,” the spokesperson said.

The attacks on Balmoral’s figs began in February 2024, when Mosman Collective revealed nine Port Jackson figs on The Esplanade between Lower Almora St and Esther Rd had been drilled and poisoned.

Those trees survived, and council said a month later they showed “no adverse reactions”.

The NSW Government announced on 20 October it would double on-the-spot fines for illegal tree clearing from $3,000 to $6,000 for individuals and triple the amount from $6,000 to $18,000 for businesses.

Legislation to be introduced to NSW Parliament would also let councils pursue court-imposed penalties of up to $500,000 for individuals and $2.5 million for corporations.

Removing dead and dying trees will also need a permit, a change the government says will “eliminate incentives to poison trees”.

“Communities across NSW are rightly fed up with seeing their local trees poisoned and ripped out of their neighbourhoods for someone else’s convenience or profit and councils are fed up with having to clear such a high legal bar when pursuing those who have done the wrong thing,” Planning Minister Paul Scully said.

Anyone with information about the Balmoral vandalism is urged to contact Mosman Council on 9978 4000.

GOT MORE INFO ON BALMORAL’S TREE VANDAL? Email [email protected] in confidence.

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