Perth Voice Interactive

BAYSWATER councillors have voted to paint a poisoned tree yellow to signify the cowardice of the tree-hater behind the attack.

The poisoner bored into the roots of a Queenland box tree near the corner of Guildford Road and Crowther Street.

“Enough is enough,” Bayswater mayor Barry McKenna says. “Tree vandalism is a criminal offence and a very serious matter.”

Bayswater already suffers from a piddly tree canopy over the suburbs and while they’re trying to fix it with a raft of initiatives, poisoners aren’t helping.

“The city of Bayswater doubled its funding for street trees this financial year from $200,000 to $400,000 as part of its commitment to increase the city’s canopy coverage,” Mr McKenna says.

”We cannot stand by and watch all of our hard work be destroyed.”

The usual council policy is to put up a 3m by 3m sign alerting people to the tree death, shaming the poisoner, and also confounding their attempts to get a view.

But the box tree is in an awkward spot for such a huge sign, meaning a smaller sign and the yellow paint.

A new tree will be planted and the council will inspect the dead one annually to make sure it’s not about to drop a branch on anyone.

by DAVID BELL