What manner of loser vandalises trees?

TAMS cannot protect trees they plant if idiots destroy them.

You do many stupid things as a kid and you should be put in line when you are not a good citizen
If you see a kid damaging a tree, or if they have a branch you, should accuse them of vandalism.

Residents should be the guardians of their nature strips and admonish kids who rip off branches.

breda said :

. . . . I had to chase a few away when a couple of babies (not eucalypts) were planted outside my place a few years ago. I watched one moron aged about 12 standing there just stripping leaves and breaking branches off a sapling. When I went out asked asked the little darling what he thought he was doing, he just looked at me as though I was mad and ambled off. Didn’t come back though – there’s a lot to be said for the “crazy lady” reputation!

I’ve seen kids stripping leaves off trees at places like the Botanic Gardens. I don’t know why the parents bother taking them there. I’m not talking an idle pluck either, they attack the task with gusto. And the parents stand and watch and say nothing. If parents don’t teach that ‘you don’t do that’ then someone else being concerned about it is going to seem strange to them. 🙁

Yep, I’m guessing the spotted gum widowmakers are being targeted by people who don’t want them growing outside their house or in their street. I don’t blame them.

As for oak trees, a healthy oak can live for hundreds of years – and they don’t drop branches or resin. Their roots are fairly deep so they don’t fall over every time there is a storm, either. There is an avenue of oaks near my place (inner South) which is about 2km long, and you can see that not a single one has come to grief since they were planted at least 60 years ago.

However, it is true that kids also randomly vandalise trees – I had to chase a few away when a couple of babies (not eucalypts) were planted outside my place a few years ago. I watched one moron aged about 12 standing there just stripping leaves and breaking branches off a sapling. When I went out asked asked the little darling what he thought he was doing, he just looked at me as though I was mad and ambled off. Didn’t come back though – there’s a lot to be said for the “crazy lady” reputation!

Solidarity said :

I know people kill small gum trees on purpose because they are scared that they will grow big and then fall on their houses… but the Oak trees I don’t know.

Well lets be real, gums drop limbs regularly but oaks drop entire trees!

Granted, that’s only when they are huge.

Isn’t the Green Labor government going to rip out trees to lay tram tracks?

I know people kill small gum trees on purpose because they are scared that they will grow big and then fall on their houses… but the Oak trees I don’t know.

Watson said :

There’s a rumour going round our street that someone poisoned the street tree (an Argyle Apple gum) in front of their house because they wanted to establish a lawn. Just a rumour, but one day the tree was fine and the next it was dead and so was the bush close to it.

I wonder if something similar is going on in Gungahlin too? Significant trees that are in the way of new developments?

I’ve seen kids damage saplings, apparently out of sheer boredom.

Well if the government won’t let you cut down trees on your own property then poison is the last resort.

If its public land the it’s absolutely disgusting thing to do. I very often see those little triangles that have saplings planted in and it makes me so angry and just another reason why we can’t ha e nice things.

There’s a rumour going round our street that someone poisoned the street tree (an Argyle Apple gum) in front of their house because they wanted to establish a lawn. Just a rumour, but one day the tree was fine and the next it was dead and so was the bush close to it.

I wonder if something similar is going on in Gungahlin too? Significant trees that are in the way of new developments?

I’ve seen kids damage saplings, apparently out of sheer boredom.

It would seem that not everyone in Canberra likes the notion of the bush capital. If that’s the case, maybe they need to move elsewhere.