A Philadelphia homeowner has been left distraught after a neighbor decided to damage their street tree.
Posting on the r/treelaw subreddit, they described how footage from multiple cameras caught the unauthorized tree surgeon in the act, and that despite being located on a sidewalk, they had confirmed with a property lawyer that they definitely own the tree.
"What can I do?" they asked the Reddit community, showing a picture of the tree with branches cut and left on the floor. "What's the damage? I've had it for 3 years, but it was planted as an established sapling, so it's older than that. It's a green hawthorn."
Thankfully, the community offered plenty of useful advice about what steps they should take next.
"Report your neighbor to the Philly Parks and Recreation department for unlicensed pruning by someone other than a certified arborist," read the top comment.
In a residential area, that tree would have provided a lot of benefits. Adding greenery can reduce the heat island effect, in which concrete, asphalt, and bricks in urban areas absorb heat and release it back into the local area. Trees, however, absorb and trap that heat, providing natural cooling.
The tree would also provide a habitat for small creatures, helping to improve the biodiversity essential for the planet's health. Other homeowners have taken similar actions to help the local ecosystem, such as growing native plants gardens, but even these have seen pushback from HOAs and landlords.
More than anything, that tree would have been a source of pride and joy for the homeowner, who cared for and watched the sapling grow over three years and has now seen that hard work damaged. The tree might yet recover, but it doesn't look like it was cut in the interest of encouraging future growth.
The original poster detailed that they filed a police report, so hopefully the situation is resolved one way or another. If anything, though, it should alert the local community that tree care should be done by an owner or an expert.
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