When it comes to neighbors, it often seems like you can either get some amazing ones or a few terrible ones—there’s no middle ground. In the case of this story, it seems it was the latter, as one Philadelphia homeowner just reported that their neighborhood cut through the roots of their 70 ft tall oak tree, making the tree a hazard for not only the homeowner, but also for the one who caused the tree conundrum in the first place.
Reddit user jamoka_jack posted on the Arborists and Tree Law subreddits about a situation they faced a few days ago. According to them, their neighbors, with whom they have a good relationship, wanted to install a walkway, and to do so, they had to cut through a significant part of the yard (as you can see in the pictures), and the contractors ended up cutting several roots of a 70 ft tall oak tree at the OP’s house in Philadelphia.
For context, OP mentions that they didn’t plant the tree; it was already there. Still, when they saw how much the contractors had cut, they became concerned, as it seemed as if the tree could fall at any moment.
Worried, OP shared the story on the aforementioned subreddits, hoping to find some advice, and as expected, everyone confirmed this is now a terrible hazard, as the tree is now unstable.
According to the victim, around 40% of the base is now compromised, which could lead to the tree collapsing and affecting several neighbors. Still, OP has mentioned that, while the process will be expensive, they are already in talks with the neighbors who dug to make the walkway to see if they can find a solution together and prevent an unfortunate event.
Philadelphia Neighbors Angry at Irresponsible Contractors
While it seems OP has already found a solution, or is working quickly to get to one, that didn’t stop the anger of some Redditors who think the contractors and the neighbor who hired them were irresponsible.
“Some people are that dumb.“
“They know it’s not ok. They don’t care.“
Some others, however, focused on the more immediate issue and urged OP to find some help for it.
“Someone is about to pay you a lot of money. Hire a consulting TRAQ-certified arborist immediately; the sooner they can come out, the better. After that, start looking for lawyers who understand tree law.”
At the time of writing, it is unclear what will happen with the tree or who will end up paying, but many hope they find a solution soon because this tree is a danger to everyone in the neighborhood.
