An Idaho resident was left frustrated after a neighbor showed a clear lack of consideration while embarking on a landscaping project.
The homeowner explained their situation in the r/treelaw subreddit, writing that the neighbor "was trying to get access through my property to help re-engineer and fix a failing retaining wall." However, the neighbor didn't ask for permission before contractors came through the homeowner's property with a bulldozer, and the homeowner noticed that "they cut several trees down, most of them are 20 to 50 feet across the property line on my side."
The homeowner added that the situation would have been avoided if the neighbor had done the proper planning before getting started on their project.
"I do not think they had a survey done so she doesn't know where her property line is. I live in the state of Idaho, and there are known property lines, and I actually have a parcel so I know exactly where my boundaries are," the homeowner wrote.
To make matters even worse, the homeowner provided an update that a conversation with the neighbor's husband that initially seemed like it would lead to a resolution turned out to have an adverse effect. After being told that the contractors would remove the bulldozer the same way it came in, the homeowner and his wife discovered that the contractors took the bulldozer on a different route and even crossed onto a separate neighbor's property. It appeared that they also bulldozed a flat spot and covered the natural spring on the homeowner's property.
Trees offer an array of incredible benefits that go beyond just providing shade and beauty to our surroundings. These include producing oxygen and removing harmful carbon pollution from the air, which slows the ongoing heating of the planet.
Unfortunately, situations such as this are common. For example, a Redditor once detailed how their neighbor cut down 20 trees on their property. In some instances, the perpetrators who egregiously remove trees can face hefty fines; one person in New Jersey was staring down the barrel of a penalty of $1,000 per tree for cutting down 32 mature trees on a neighbor's property.
The homeowner sought advice on how to move forward with their neighbor, and many commenters suggested taking legal action.
"Document and photograph, talk to a lawyer, they'll likely want a surveyor and an arborist with court experience involved," one commenter suggested. "Or, talk to the lawyer about what a reasonable ask damages wise might be that avoids court."
"Trees are expensive, very expensive, especially if they are big trees," another commenter wrote. "Depending on the species, they could be super duper expensive and worth a lot in a lawsuit. As others have said, hire an arborist and a lawyer and sue the hell out of your neighbor."
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