Homeowner outraged after security camera captures neighbor's shocking actions: 'What's wrong with people?'

These people are in for a rude awakening when they realize that their actions have long-lasting consequences.

A user on the r/treelaw subreddit vented about a concerning situation between two of their neighbors.

The lot next to the original poster's home originally had several fully developed maple trees, but after they were chopped down by an unauthorized company, the space was left barren.

The owner of the lot had not hired anyone to take away the maples, and after some conversation about the issue, the OP learned that the house across the street was to blame.

Without the trees, the OP noticed how much the sun blared through the area and how there was no longer a natural windbreak for passersby.

Additionally, the lack of plant life made the space look empty and unappealing for the whole neighborhood.

The Redditor emphasized that they'd been living there for 20 years and the maples had been fully grown before they arrived. 

"Those trees were probably a good 30 or 40 feet high, if not higher," they said. "Now, all gone, including whatever squirrels had nests in them. No more woodpeckers randomly showing up."

On top of the inconvenience to the area and the unsightly absence of greenery in the space, chopping down such massive pieces of the lot's ecosystem will undoubtedly have more adverse effects.

Even just one mature tree makes a significant difference in a space's health.

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Per the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, "maples are one of the most important groups of trees in forests and for planting in lawns, along streets, and in parks" due to being a "foundational species, meaning they play a disproportionately large role in shaping and maintaining their ecosystems, as well as in increasing local species diversity."

Without shelter, the wildlife that had been calling the maples home will be forced to find it elsewhere, potentially disrupting the balance of the environments in other neighbors' yards.

The trees themselves notably made the neighborhood more beautiful and allowed for protection from adverse weather for both people and animals.

Now, because of some difficult neighbors, all the years of growth those trees had done were rendered null, and their environmental benefits were destroyed. Meanwhile, it likely reduced the value of the lot-owner's property. 

Mitigating neighborly disputes through civil discussion and understanding, especially regarding environmental concerns, is a key factor in potentially avoiding complications like those detailed in the Reddit post.

Commenters were taken aback by the rival homeowners' audacity, with one exclaiming, "If it's not your property, you don't get access. What's wrong with people?"

"I simply cannot fathom how someone would feel entitled to cut down trees (or do anything else) on someone else's property," another agreed.

One even mentioned how "many states have 3x damages on trees removed without consent of the land owner(s). Replacing mature trees is expensive. Now 3x that. That neighbor has a painful future awaiting them."

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