My neighbour hired someone to do this to a beautiful tree on our property line to make way for a fence – after I said box it out on my side. Fence company had nothing to do with it. Sneaky neighbour did it on his own for some inexplicable reason. The cut away part is on my side.
Anyway, this is a beautiful Chinese Elm. It has a double trunk.
I've reached out to a few local arborists but no one can come look until next week.
Is there anything I can do in the meantime to help it heal?
My own Google research says conflicting things about wrapping/not wrapping and sealing/not sealing.
I appreciate any professional advice!!
And yeah I'm super excited about living next to this guy for a few more decades.
by Enough-Image-9693
34 Comments
tree’s gone, this is now a legal matter. Take this to r/treelaw, get a lawyer and an arborist assessment for damages and see how much of a claim you have to this tree. I don’t think this will end pretty for your neighbor though.
Nothing you can do for the tree besides hiring a lawyer. Fuck your neighbor.
Have you resolved the fence issue? There’s nothing you can do in the next week that will save or condemn this tree. You should let the arborist know you’re going to need a full report and an appraisal of the tree.
I’m not an arborist, but I think a cut like that is likely a death sentence. Probably not a very safe tree to have around anymore.
The tree will probably be fine to be honest. The cambium layer is not fully severed. It’s definitely more vulnerable to disease but the way tree biology works, this is not a death sentence.
Lawyer up.
But why? Could Maybe understand IF it was on the other side. This looks like intentional damage to me.
The tree is going to be just fine. Redditors just want you to be mad as hell and make a stupid decision like spending thousands of dollars on a lawyer to address and issue that still wouldn’t save the tree if it actually were going to be in distress.
How is it that people become adults without knowing the very basics of tree physiology, and what can kill a tree?
Your neighbor is an ass as well as an idiot. That fence still needs to be boxed out.
This makes me so angry, please get a lawyer and make sure to not let them off easy
It can be saved, just lose the tree and that fence will pull thru just fine.
No it’s done. That thing is fucked.
Paint it with that tree protection stuff they put on cut limbs and let her ride, I’ve seen oaks hit by lightning survive and one that got topped and left a 10 foot tall stump, thing looks like a Dr Seuss tree now with an Afro puff canopy but it’s been 20 years since they cut the top off and it’s alive and well.
I feel like I have seen this exact post before.
Stupid fucking neighbors.
I can never understand why people do this! Tree health aside, did you think the tree will stop growing and never again be an issue for your fancy fence?!?!
The tree still has a chance to survive since the missing pieces of the outer part of the tree and bark doesn’t go all the way around the trunk.
It’ll be fine
Not sure where you are but in the US tree law is no joke. Your neighbor may owe you over ten grand depending on the age/size/species of the tree. Get a lawyer and visit r/treelaw
What a turkey! There’s a chance that tree will survive and if it does it’ll fuck the fence anyway. Not hard to go around it or leave a gap. Waste of everyone’s time
I’ve never seen a fence with a built in peep line.
Just leave it and see what you get next year, trees heal themselves
I reakon it will recover
I’d get ahold of the arborist who has TRAQ ( Tree Risk Analysis Qualification certificate. ) have him write you up a slip saying it’s gonna fail at some point or another. It’s not if it’s when. Send this into your insurance. Send both the TRAQ letter to his neighbor. Have it certified mail requiring a signature. Keep receipt. And make sure you have exact copy. Could also get it notarized if you feel anal.
But if it ever falls on your house he is liable.
Wait. “Cut away part is on my side”. Doesn’t that means it’s the neighbors tree that happens to have grown onto your property?
Chinese elm never die, you’ll be roght
If that Chinese Elm die or need to be taken down, you could replace it with a native tree. Chinese Elm is listed on invasive lists in some states.
The whole situation sucks though, sorry about that.
Wow people are stupid.
Chinese elms are considered a weed here.
neighbors do this when they want the tree to come down and don’t want the blame or cost.
They’ll pass the blame on the fence builders, try and pass it off like they are upset too about it. Tree dies, you pay to cut it down.
The neighbor thinks they are real smart, I’d go full legal force.
That tree is done. It’ll take 5 to 10 years but it’s done. I’ve seen similar…
I know is in your side.. but does the neighbor owns most of the tree??
It’s fine