A 70-year-old London flame tree will have to be cut down from the South Perth foreshore after a mysterious vandal attempted to cut through its trunk in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
City Environment manager Bruce Moorman said the City of South Perth would be conducting a full investigation into the vandalism.
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30-metre gum tree chopped down after roots severed
A Perth woman is devastated after an unknown person severed the roots of a 30-metre gum tree her father planted in their family home.
"Someone's come in the middle of the night and put a chainsaw to it," he said.
"We're in the process of removing the tree completely, because the cuts made to it have destabalised it - even if it were left there, it would have died on its own."
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The council has been forced to call in tree loppers to finish cutting down the tree, after it was found there was a danger it could possibly split and fall.
9 News Perth reporter Caitlin Barr told Radio 6PR the flame tree had been a fixture opposite the Mends Street Jetty for a significant amount of time.
"You can actually see they've made two attempts at trying to cut it down obviously that wasn't successful, they've only managed to get half way through the trunk and then, for some reason, have left it as it is," she said.
The Department of Environmental Regulation have attended the scene, and it is understood WA Police will investigate further.
"The council doesn't know whether or not [the vandal] might have been disturbed and had to disappear in the middle of the night, or whether or not if they've just given up," Ms Barr said.
"Now sadly we'll be missing this nearly 100-year-old tree from the South Perth foreshore."
It is understood the flame tree was a part of the City of South Perth's 'Trees of Special Significance' scheme. These trees have met special criteria and are given a Tree Preservation Order, meaning they can not be removed, pruned or maintained in any way without written permission from the City.
The vandalism follows a similar incident in South Perth earlier this year, when a mature foreshore gum tree was poisoned through holes drilled into the base of its trunk.
Other Perth councils, including the City of Stirling and the City of Bayswater, have struggled with people vandalising trees on public land, usually in attempts to improve views or prevent leaf drop and birdsong.
A City of South Perth spokeswoman said the poisoning was one of wilful damage and an offence under both local and state law. Any offenders caught would be prosecuted and fined.