Council staff this week confirmed two people had been issued with the two-year notices, banning them from the domains.
The notices had been issued by police in relation to the thefts, in which about 10 "towering granddaddy" pine trees - believed to be up to 70 years old - were removed from the domains.
The thefts were discovered last month and were be-lieved to have occ-urred in the previous six weeks, angering both communities.
However, council community and recreation services manager Mick Reece was grilled at this week's community development committee meeting about the police decision to opt for trespass notices, rather than prosecutions.
Cr Dave Cull believed prosecutions should have been sought, if there was enough information for trespass notices, while Cr Michael Guest believed the notices were "just the easy way out".
Mr Reece confirmed it would normally be the council's policy to seek prosecutions if the thefts were proven, and agreed to discuss the matter with police.
However, it was possible a lack of sufficient evidence was the reason trespass notices were issued, he said.
Waikouaiti police could not be reached for comment.
