There's nothing quite like a sweeping view of the forest, filling the view from a porch, window, deck, or veranda, with towering, mature oaks, dogwoods, and redbuds swaying in the evening breeze. Until someone comes along and chops them all down, that is. 

An unfortunate post in the aptly named r/Wellthatsucks subreddit tells the sad tale of new neighbors scouring the area clean of trees, spoiling the view. "I hate that so many places just clear them all out," one response post ruminated.

Without the word and confirmation of an arborist, there's no way of knowing how old the trees were, though the OP suspects most of them were in the 80+ year range; a tragedy if so. 

The new neighbors probably had their reasons, but it's difficult to surmise a problem so great that it necessitated the removal of so many mature trees. It certainly wasn't to save money on the power bill.

Studies of homes with shaded roofs and surroundings have shown internal temperature drops of 5-10°F, with the potential for even cooler temperatures, depending on the surrounding tree density. 

Neighbors behaving in an obstructive or environmentally adverse fashion are nothing new. Roughly 56% of Americans have reported some gripe or disagreement with neighbors, according to Anytime Estimate, while only 35% say the opposite. 

While this neighbor's actions aren't directly targeting the OP, as happens from time to time, they're akin to the mundanities of suburbia, where tightly packed houses, sun-bleached, monoculture lawns, and the empty blandness of uniformity reign supreme. 

Sure, trees might mean more work throughout the seasons, especially in the fall. However, effective stewardship isn't always easy. Not to mention the loss of biodiversity, exposure to invasive species, and soil instability from mass tree-clearing. 

"It's gross, and honestly a bit demoralizing," said one of the respondents, referring to businesses clearing out local areas to make way for data centers. This growing issue will become far more significant in the near future.

Another expressed similar sentiments: "My next-door neighbor just cut down every single tree in his yard because he didn't want to deal with leaves anymore." Fortunately, there is a clear upward trend in homeowners taking proactive steps to maintain their trees.

Would you be willing to let your yard grow wild? I already have 😎 Yes 👍 I'm not sure 🤷 No way 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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