Living in a community can give you additional support and be good for your health, but sometimes you have to deal with the drama of living in close quarters. One homeowner was distraught after finding their property damaged by the new people next door.
If you have an issue with a neighbor or your homeowners association about trees and don't know what to do, check out r/TreeLaw on Reddit. The helpful community on this subreddit was happy to give this original poster advice for how to handle their problem. After new people moved in, the OP came home to find that "they obliterated my fence and cut down a few large trees that were 100% on my property."
The photos included in the post look like they could be from the clear-cutting of a forest. There is one large tree that was cut, leaving a jagged, splintered edge, while the other photos show general chaos and destruction. A metal fence was crushed by the falling trees, and brush and branches were strewn in a massive area.
They asked, "Obviously I should call a lawyer, right?" And even if they weren't potentially seeking legal restitution, they are facing a long road to recovery with cleanup and the expensive replacement of several large trees.
Unfortunately, stories like this are all too common. Neighbors can make it hard to make eco-friendly choices. Homeowners choosing to grow native flowers or do a no-mow May have come to yards that were destroyed by a "well-meaning" person who thought their homes looked unkempt.
These unsolicited and destructive activities are not only costly for the victim, but they are bad for pollinators and other local fauna.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service wrote about the many threats pollinators face, including the destruction of natural spaces: "Habitat that pollinators need in order to survive are shrinking. As native vegetation is replaced by roadways, manicured lawns, crops, and non-native gardens, pollinators lose the food and nesting sites that are necessary for their survival."
Redditors were rightly upset for this homeowner and offered several pieces of advice.
One person well versed in this topic suggested they collect evidence: "Get photographed measurements of the diameter and circumference of the stump and the estimated height of the tree, as well as species and replacement cost through a certified consulting arborist."
🗣️ Should HOAs be able to force homeowners to change their yards?
🔘 Absolutely not 💯
🔘 Yes — it's part of the deal 🤝
🔘 Only in extreme circumstances 🏚️
🔘 We should ban HOAs 🚫
🗳️ Click your choice to see results and speak your mind
Someone else agreed that an arborist was the first course of action: "First contact an arborist so that they can assess the cost of the mistake that your neighbor made."
"I must say, just THE AUDACITY alone would piss me off enough to pursue this!" another commenter wrote.
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