Having trees that act as a fence between your home and neighboring properties is a natural and attractive way to allow for privacy and to establish property lines.
However, sometimes neighbors can mistake trees for their own, and that can lead to disputes.
In Western Washington, one homeowner was devastated when they returned home and heard a loud thud, which turned out to be the sound of one of their prized trees being cut down without permission.
The owners of the neighboring property, an RV park, got some tree surgeons to deal with a tree they considered to be dead. The homeowner said the tree was past its prime, but it was not the neighbor's choice to make, as the tree wasn't on their property.
"My side has trees and wild foliage, [theirs] doesn't," the homeowner posted in the Reddit community r/treelaw. "Any advice on how to proceed?"
"Get your own arborist to assess the tree, they should be able to tell you if the tree needed to come down or if it was healthy enough to stay up," one comment read. "Then find a lawyer from there."
"They came on your property without your permission to cut a tree that more than likely was living," another commented. "Have them cited for trespassing."
Of course, the tree owner was concerned that taking matters to a lawyer could create some friction in the community. But the loss of a potentially healthy tree was unnecessary, and it opened up a gap between the two properties that has now reduced privacy.
"I just want to get them to do something that solidifies the property line and restore privacy that the tree did, and not at my expense," the homeowner added. "I'm having trouble figuring out how to determine that."
The tree would have been there for decades, potentially centuries, establishing itself as part of the local ecosystem and providing a habitat for a variety of creatures.
Its felling could reduce biodiversity and lead to a reduction in pollinator numbers, while the natural cooling and shading it would have provided will also be a notable loss. On top of that, the tree's ability to absorb harmful airborne toxins that can reduce air quality and trap heat in the atmosphere is now gone.
It's understandable that the homeowner would be angry and want to seek compensation. Similar cases have seen perpetrators rack up fines totaling in the thousands of dollars.
Dealing with the situation tactfully is important to maintain harmony within the community. Neighbors might not quite understand the implications of their actions, and they may have been acting with the best intentions.
It's not uncommon for neighbors to be a barrier when it comes to making beneficial property additions or maintaining existing ones, but by working together, meaningful change to benefit the entire local area and the planet can be achieved.
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