Quote:
Originally Posted by EvoFire
$12,500 for a 55" fir seems lenient. I would expect it to be into the six figures for it to matter. In this sense the perpetrator would just pay it and move on, what's 12,500 when you are spending 4-500k on a laneway or 1m+ on a new house. Should have a base fine + $1000 per year old of the tree.
Alternatively, even if the tree was cut down illegally, make sure plans being approved for the build doesn't allow that space to be encroached. That would turn off people who illegally cut down trees for more room as it doesn't solve their problems.
Am I being too much of a tree hugger? But a 170yr old tree is impossible to replace.
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I think the fact that it's a rural-ish property that's already quite wooded played a factor in the leniency. If this was a like a single tree in the middle of a denser city plot, the penalty would have probably been much more severe since the impact to the neighbourhood would be greater.