Manfred Stephens had taken up residence in the tree's branches to prevent it from being chopped down to make way for a tourist chairlift in a jungle near Cairns in the far northeast of Australia.
Stephens was charged with possessing a small amount of marijuana but not with occupying the tree.
A police spokesman was unrepentant about the ploy. He told reporters it is legal for police to impersonate journalists but not for journalists to pose as police.
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