Historic Albury tree suspected to have been poisoned through four holes drilled into its roots

The Guinea Street tree, on a nature strip between the Star Hotel and Kiewa Street, seems to be dying with its brown leaves in sharp contrast to nearby greenery.

Albury Council's director of community services and recreation James Jenkins said a probe had been launched.

"Albury City is investigating the alleged poisoning of a tree in Guinea Street and have appealed for public information," Mr Jenkins said.

"The plane tree is more than 80 years old, nearly a metre wide and is located in a local heritage area."

Nearby resident Murray King suspects a powerful herbicide was added to the root holes and is appalled.

"I think it's a disgraceful act," Mr King said.

"It's not their tree, no-one has the right to take things into their own hands and to destroy a tree.

"It's not a spur of the moment act here, where someone has poured herbicide into a crack, they've calculatedly assessed the tree and got a powerful drill and drilled in areas to have the maximum effect."

Mr King said it was a blow to the neighbourhood.

"It's a heritage-listed area and it's a good street and people take pride in their properties, so to have this blatant crime in our street is astounding," Mr King said.

"We need a proper investigation with avenues exhausted to catch the culprit."

Albury mayor Henk van de Ven said "it would be obviously disappointing" if it was confirmed the tree was poisoned.

"They are a real feature of Albury, the tree-lined avenues of plane trees, they are problematic with allergies but they provide fantastic shade and help the place cool down in summer," Cr van de Ven said.

Mr Jenkins said the tree would stay for the near term.

"The tree will continue to be monitored by an arborist over the next six months and a thorough inspection will be done in spring when the tree is in full foliage again," Mr Jenkins said.

We are giving the tree a chance to try to recover."

Wodonga-based Riverina Tree Care arborist Ryan Hawkins said there was a 9/10 chance the tree would die if it was poisoned.

He said the toxin only had to enter the outer five centimetres of the trunk to work as that was the sapwood which absorbed moisture.

"As it dies off it will start losing sticks, they won't be big, but if someone gets hit on the head they'll have a sook about it," he said.

"When it comes to big limbs you can't say, some will hang on and some may go, but I would be having a look at it."

Mr Hawkins estimated it would cost $4000 to remove the tree with traffic control.