Neighborhood outraged over selfish homeowner's destructive act: 'It's a felony'

Trees are incredibly important to the well-being of communities and environment, but unfortunately, people don't always respect them. That's why we have strict laws in place to protect trees and landowners affected by intentional tree damage.

On the subreddit r/treelaw, a Reddit user posted about a homeowner in Idaho who illegally cut down or damaged up to 45 trees on another neighbor's property to make way for a riverfront water view. They included photos of the before and after. 

The original poster said they sliced through a fence and used a quiet electric saw to cut down "more than 30 fully grown Ponderosa Pines and halfway [cut] through another 15 that now have to be removed."

"It's a felony. Sheriff's Department has investigated and is submitting report to prosecutor. The guy might want to try to settle out of court," they said.

Dealing with neighbors is certainly one of the most difficult parts of being a homeowner. It's in your best interest to try to get along with the people you live closest to, but it's not always possible. 

Disagreements with neighbors over trees blocking views, property lines, and other landscaping issues can all act as barriers for homeowners trying to implement climate-friendly solutions. 

Hundreds of commenters chimed in on the issue, offering advice to the OP such as avoiding settlement, hiring a team of lawyers and arborists to estimate the damage, and possibly constructing something on the property that would still block the neighbor's view.  

"Neighbors might lose their property with the fine they're about to get hit with," one user said.

"You're gonna want to get a certified arborist out there ASAP to do an assessment. They will help compute an appropriate dollar amount," another user commented.

"Hope it was worth the cost because it ain't gonna be cheap," a commenter said.

"Use the payday to build an enormously tall [view-blocking] fence," another user said.

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