A frustrated Californian asked the r/treelaw subreddit for help dealing with a house-flipping neighbor who cut their trees' roots without permission.
The homeowner provided a detailed account of the situation to Reddit. A house flipper bought the house next door and wanted to cut the roots of 16 glossy privets to build a retaining wall along the properties. Despite the trees being on the original poster's property, the flipper cut the roots anyway.
In California, homeowners can trim roots encroaching on their property if doing so doesn't endanger the trees. But the flipper didn't care about the trees. During a phone call with the OP, they said, "I don't care if I kill the trees."
Eventually, they cut the roots. An arborist assessed the privets and determined that the flipper likely severed the taproot. A taproot is a tree's primary root, anchoring the tree and absorbing water and nutrients. Cutting it can kill a tree.
The flipper also neglected to seal the exposed roots properly. This can further harm the tree and damage nearby structures.
This is a prime example of how inconsiderate neighbors can disrupt other people's property and the surrounding environment. The OP wanted to protect the long-standing trees, which they had every right to do.
Beyond property lines and legal considerations, trees are vital to local ecosystems. They provide habitats and food for wildlife, from squirrels to birds to insects. Trees are a key part of a healthy ecosystem, so destroying roots harms more than just the trees.
People in the comments tried to help the OP find solutions. Some noted the neighbor's illegal behavior: "He cut the roots but didn't use care to seal them is negligent by all means."
Others offered tips on saving the trees. One person advised, "The first thing to do is to deeply water those trees."
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Mowing the lawn 🏡 A few commenters sided with the neighbor. In response, a Redditor pointed out: "These are … 50-year-old trees. … The [flipper] came in and started throwing their weight around because they didn't have to live in the neighborhood."
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Someone coming in and possibly killing over a dozen trees hurts the neighborhood, the local ecosystems, and the planet as a whole.
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