Good fences may make good neighbors, but the quickest way to prove that wrong is when a tree becomes involved.
A Reddit user shared that a feud between their landlord and the landlord next door ended in a partially destroyed tree and legal charges. They explained that the neighbor had previously come into their building's yard to cut down some branches of a tree they felt were a problem. They noted the neighbor initially complained that the user's bird feeder was causing squirrels to get into a garage.
"Well today he finished the job.. absolutely destroying the tree. You can see the fence/property line in the last picture. Trunk is 100% not on his side. My landlord is pressing charges and the police came by today."
They added: "I'm pretty sad about it, was a beautiful cedar tree with nice shade. Plus he left all the limbs hanging or in the yard and my feeder was demolished."
Trees take years to grow and are a vital part of ecosystems and human communities. The original poster said they got joy in providing a bird feeder for local wildlife, backing up the research that shows exposure to nature can have mental health benefits.
They also mentioned the shade the tree provided, a necessary community benefit that is lost when a tree is removed. According to the Arbor Day Foundation, trees lower surface temperature by up to 10 degrees in cities, helping combat ever-rising global temperatures.
Improper trimming can be detrimental to a tree's health, not to mention the buildings around it. Falling branches can cause damage, and whole root systems can be uprooted and cause property damage. The feud between the landlords will likely result in fines for the offender, as has been the case in multiple instances.
Earlier this year, another user in the r/TreeLaw forum shared that a neighbor had cut down a 50-year-old tree on their property. "The neighbor didn't ask for permission to cut down the tree, they only briefly mentioned years ago that they thought it was encroaching onto their property," the OP said. The consensus in the comments was to have the tree inspected by an actual arborist and consult a lawyer.
As for this Redditor, though the damage to the tree looks bad, one person in the comments offered hope.
"I'm not an arborist but the tree looks okay, (as in, won't fall down) just that the lower branches were whacked and it needs to be cleaned up," they wrote.
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