When a Sydney, Australia, local noticed something very different on his usual walk, he stopped for a better look. What he found has sparked a huge conversation online.
Thomas Druery, who posts to Reddit under the username Silk-Touch, was on a walk in Hunter's Hill, an affluent neighborhood in Sydney with a view to the famous harbor, when he realized a tall tree had been cut down.
In its place was, as he described it to Newsweek, a "massive structure."
"I was wondering what it was, I wandered over and figured out what they had done and I thought it was bloody hilarious," electrician Druery, 26, said.
That structure was revealed to be a billboard from the Sydney Harbour Reservation Trust, with a stern warning held up high on tall metal legs.
Druery wrote in a post to Reddit's r/mildlyinteresting sub: "Someone chopped down a tall tree to get a better view of Sydney Harbour so [they] put up a tall sign where it once was to block the view."
The sign bore the words: "Tree vandalism has occurred in this area. The Sydney Harbour Federation Trust protects and manages this land for the enjoyment of the public. Acts of vandalism like this deprive all of us of the natural environment."
It went on to urge people to report suspicious activity, and warned any offenders face fines and prosecution.
In a comment to Newsweek, a spokesperson for the Harbour Trust said: "Earlier this year saw the illegal removal of trees on Harbour Trust land at Goats Paddock in Woolwich.
"Following this, the Harbour Trust installed a large sign in the former location of the illegally removed trees to inform the community of the vandalism and encourage anyone with information to contact us to help maintain and protect our environment.
"Additionally, the Harbour Trust installed temporary fencing and a security camera that will monitor the area of replanted trees to prevent and deter any similar incidents in the future."
Druery explained he took the photos of the structure several months ago, but only recently decided to share it online.
Reddit users loved the local government response, with Druery's post raking up over 96,000 upvotes since being shared on August 27.
One joked it was like "when you try to close a popup [advert] and a second, bolder popup appears in its stead."
Another said they would "DONATE to my government if they did cool things like that," while another wrote: "Well deserved. Enjoy the view."
Others shared previous similar stories of tree vandalism in Australia, including another Sydney suburb, Brighton-Le-Sands, where the council placed large shipping containers in the place of illegally chopped-down trees.
The shipping containers will remain there, ruining the view of the sea for residents, until the replacement trees reach full maturity, according to a report from Australian news channel 9 News.
In the United States, laws on tree cutting can vary. However, the U.S. Forest Service states that most national forests allow people to cut down trees for personal use, such as firewood or Christmas trees. Anyone wishing to do so must have a Forest Service-issued permit and must follow specific guidelines which vary from forest to forest.
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