Gardener fined $187,500 for illegal removal of 287 trees at Sydney waterfront estate

The New South Wales land and environment court found gardener Yi Wang guilty of three offences related to the illegal felling of 287 native trees on council-owned bushland at Woodford Bay, Longueville. Justice Rachel Pepper sentenced Wang to a $187,500 fine and ordered him to cover the council’s legal costs after he coordinated the removal of 1,210 sq m of vegetation over a 12-day period in late 2023. The work, commissioned by Yao Wu, who had initially hired Wang for grass trimming, involved casual labourers and cash payments left in a shoe at the adjacent property.

The clearing eliminated habitat for protected owls and microbats and compromised an Aboriginal midden, with regeneration expected to take 20-30 years. Lane Cove council described the incident as the worst act of environmental vandalism in the area and praised the judgment as a victory for native bushland. Evidence included CCTV, dump invoices and ranger reports, while Wang’s character references were noted but did not affect the penalty.