Frustrated homeowner shares photo of 'botch job' by HOA workers: 'This is garbage'

One homeowner says the tree-trimming approved by their homeowners association left their only tree looking butchered, not maintained. 

The homeowner shared a post on the r/arborists Reddit forum that showed their tree chopped up, with no leaves and rough top cuts at the ends of every branch.

"My HOA came and cut our tree so that it would be trimmed away from the roads and driveways, but it looks like a botch job," the homeowner wrote.

When the poster told their HOA about the bad cut and noted how the arborist should've cut back to each branch collar, the HOA "said they will not consider my opinion," the poster wrote, since they are not a certified arborist. 

The HOA wrote in an email response to the complaint: "At this time, the Association will not be continuing extended written debate on pruning methodology [...] the matter is considered closed."

Disputes like this have become increasingly common. HOAs have drawn criticism for blocking residents from making money-saving, tree-friendly updates — from installing solar panels to replacing water-hungry lawns with native plants. While HOAs often cite aesthetics and disregard oversight, their bylaws often limit homeowners' control and often slow value-boosting upgrades.

"I'm afraid it's going to look like s*** for a long time now. It had just recovered from the last pruning job they did," the poster wrote. 

"Am I wrong?" they asked the subreddit. "I want to make sure my trees are ok."

Members of the arborist community were quick to chime in with support.

Some recommended asking their HOA for their certified arborist's International Society of Arboriculture (ISA) number, finding them online, and then filing an ethics complaint with the ISA. 

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"This is garbage," one user wrote. "Hopefully … someone gets to manage the epicormic sprouts for basically ever." 

Another gave more info on topping a tree, and explained that it is "the number one biggest thing an arborist is taught never to do, topping is a scam technique that offers no benefit except money and creates a lot of serious issues that will require a lot of time and money to correct … people who practice it are either amateurs or scammers."

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