Nature doesn’t follow the same rules as humans, and that can sometimes be a problem when it comes to property boundaries. For example, this man from Oregon threatened his neighbors by claiming he would cut down the 50-year-old tree on their property. In addition, the OP’s wife wanted to talk peacefully with the neighbor, and he ended up yelling at her without giving her a chance to explain herself.
Redditor Sean_Ivity shared on r/treelaw how their wife’s family has owned the property they live on for three generations. Her grandparents planted a tree when they moved there in the 1970s. As a result, the tree became very important to them. The couple’s problem began when the wife noticed her neighbor spraying weed killer onto their property, toward the tree. The tree is indeed very close to the neighbor’s property, and he has even pruned it because the needles fall on his roof. That’s why the neighbor sent a letter warning that he will “hire a contractor and cut a vertical line straight up from the fence line, no matter what it cuts, and then send us the bill with a 25% surcharge on it.“
The problem worsened when the wife responded with another letter, discussing how important the tree is to her family. The letter also mentioned that they would consult with a lawyer because it is illegal to spray weed killer on another property. And there was a way to resolve everything peacefully, as the neighbor’s tree expert “pointed out cuts we could make that would actually be healthy for the tree in the long run and get everything off the neighbor’s side of the fence.” Everything seemed to be going well, except that the neighbor went to yell at the wife about her letter and threatened to cut the tree down. According to OP, the neighbor didn’t even read their wife’s letter.
OP and the wife hope that everything will be over after the pruning, but they are concerned that the neighbor threatened to cut down the old tree, so they have begun to explore other legal options in Oregon. On Reddit, many users give similar advice like this one:
Neighbor is an as*. Lawyer up. Get a tree Lawyer, boundary lawyer on retainer. Send a cease and desist letter FROM THE LAWYER.
norfolkgarden
Camera on fence line. Whatever is legal.
Also (if possible) mention in the letter this guy is the bad guy. This guy is the unreasonable one. This guy is the problem. This guy is the one who’s wrong. Make sure he knows his place. He is absolutely NOT the victim in this story.
Let’s hope they install the cameras as soon as possible, and the neighbor leaves the couple and the tree alone once the contractor finishes the job.
