A family who inherited land discovered a big problem when the estate finally reached their hands after being tied up in court for seven years: A timber company had cleared almost a half-acre of trees on each of three adjacent properties.
"Around 2017 a timber company cleared a few hundred acres on the property touching ours," the Redditor wrote. "I was only 17 at the time and my grandma had passed leaving us the land it was touching."
They said they had planned to build a house on their lot; two other properties left to their sister and uncle had also been cleared of the mostly pine trees.
"Is there anything that can be done or has it been [too] long?" they asked. "We couldn't do anything back then because it was tied up in court and couldn't be deeded to us yet."
The r/TreeLaw community was ready to help, though many commenters noted the statute of limitations had expired and that there may not be any way around that unless the discovery was just made.
"The first thing to do is to get a consultation with a lawyer that knows tree law for your area," one user said. "... You can contact your state BAR association to get referrals since tree law can be obscure. That is a good starting point. They can direct you as to what can be done legally given the time lapse."
Trees are vital to the environment, and they offer many other benefits. They regulate the water cycle, create jobs, prevent erosion, reduce noise and light pollution, and provide healing, according to Click A Tree.
In this age of rapidly rising global temperatures, trees may be most valued for their ability to sequester carbon and dampen the heat island effect, as Earth.org noted.
That's what makes this clearing gone wrong and other problems like it all the more disheartening. Whether they happen via trespassing or carelessness, these experiences can harm our mental health.
The good thing is that there are people such as those in r/TreeLaw who will stand up for these plants that can't speak for themselves.
Another Redditor provided a perspective from the other side.
"Logging is pretty low margins," they said. "If this was caught in a timely manner the company would have lost a lot of money, we take cutovers seriously in the industry.
"If it's as big of a slopover as OP says it was probably some intern flagging the property line. Its pretty standard to run a compass line from corner to corner but being just a degree or 2 off can make a big difference."
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
