California neighbors are at odds over the devastating fate of a pomegranate tree.
The tree owner went to r/treelaw seeking advice on how to move forward after coming home from vacation to a shocking sight.
About 45 minutes after leaving town for the weekend, their neighbor was captured by a Ring video chopping down 80% of the 25-year-old tree.
The included photo shows the aftermath of the perpetrator's hack job.
The tree was a point of frustration for the neighbor, who mentioned several times that it obstructed his view. When he asked to trim it, the OP gave the okay to cut anything causing a problem on their side of the fence. What remains of the tree is clearly not what the pomegranate tree owner intended or ever expected.
While the OP believes the tree will recover eventually, there is a question of how to respond to their neighbor's audacious move while navigating the best way to recover damages. The huge producing tree was 15 feet tall and eight feet wide with 25 trunks — a major loss.
"It is an actual crime as well, to enter our property and cut down our tree," the OP wrote.
Similarly, a Kentucky landowner dealt with a neighbor cutting down their trees for lumber. An Arizona homeowner woke up to the sound of chainsaws to find all but 10 feet of their tree was left before the neighbor handed them the bill for it.
Trees are a huge property asset, providing food and shade that helps reduce grocery and energy bills. They also improve air quality by reducing planet-warming gases created by dirty energy sources. Unfortunately, neighbors aren't always neighborly when it comes to trees and other eco-friendly amenities. A Nebraska couple is being bullied to take down their solar panels with debatable claims that they are an eyesore that will bring down property value.
Gentle discourse is recommended when facing those in opposition to climate-friendly home solutions. There are ways to fight back when it comes to eco-upgrades like native lawns and solar panels. The TCD Guide for dealing with HOAs can be easily applied to landlord and neighbor disputes as well.
The pomegranate massacre attracted a lot of attention — all in favor of the tree owner over the neighbor's villainous actions.
"I'm so confused, who wouldn't want a pomegranate tree?" a commenter asked.
"It will never be the same," one Redditor wrote. "I would go down the legal route because your neighbour destroyed your property. On your property."
"Demand replacement of the tree, and/or maintenance costs for the tree as it recovers, AND the equivalent amount of fruit it had produced each year, until such time as the new or recovered tree reaches that production level," another suggested.
"We filed a police report and have engaged legal help. I am actively looking for an arborist that can assess the tree. Our landscaper is searching for an appropriate replacement tree. I'm also going to splice together the ring recordings of us leaving the house, him destroying the tree," the OP shared in an update and then followed up with another. "Working with the lawyer to calculate damages."
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