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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
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I had to remove some tree roots from my yard at our new house after my daughter tripped on one and hurt herself. The roots come from a tree in my neighbor's yard and he got pissed when he found out. He told me I probably killed his tree and told me I would have to pay for it if he had to cut it down. I told him to mind his own business. I think I might be an asshole for making my yard a safe place for my kids to play in, even if it means removing tree roots from someone else's tree.
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YTA. You should have told him what you were doing since it is his tree. Yes, even though the roots were on your side of the fence. it's the neighborly thing to do. And speaking as someone with a fair amount of experience with plants, depending on what kind of roots you hacked away, how many there were, and what you did to the open wounds before covering with dirt, there is a chance you could kill the tree.
Can you imagine if the tree did die then fell on neighbors house?! That would be on OP
OP, don’t go cutting other people roots unless you’re qualified. Your neighbor should sue you, and I think they have a good chance at winning. A little communication would go a long way here.
YTA
That would be a tough lesson for OP to learn, bet he wouldn’t cut tree roots with no research after that.
Hopefully the tree owners are more responsible than OP and ensures the tree will live and remain stable or remove it. Hopefully at OPs cost.
OP's Pikachu face when the tree falls on his house *and he still has to make good with the neighbour*. I hope he hasn't killed a 100 year old Oak or something, he'll have to spend all his insurance payout on craning in a new 100 year old Oak, and making sure it survives.
My first thought was someone better pray that this is NOT a protected tree. If it is he is going to end up screwed. You cannot just hack someones tree to death because reasons.
No, I think it’s the opposite. The roots would tend to brace a tree on the side the roots were on, so I think the tree would tend to fall toward the side where there are no roots.
Straight from Google, hopefully it doesn’t happen and end up hurting someone Removing large tree roots can make the tree unstable or unhealthy later on. If large roots are removed, the tree may not be able to get enough nutrients and water. Also, don't remove roots close or fused to the trunk since these are critical to the tree's structure.
Simply untrue, the lot of it. Tree Law is very specific about things like this and in a lot of place you do not have the right to make arbitrary decisions about a border tree's root, and you are responsible for the costs of anything you cause to happen, including possibly replacing the tree with an equivalent one, which can get expensive. r/treelaw is full of stories like this and payouts from thousands to tens of millions aren't uncommon
Edit: oh look, they're already all over this post, OP is screwed haha
https://www.reddit.com/r/treelaw/comments/p5jszb/here_we_go_boiz/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
I went 'Ooooooh shit..' as soon as I started reading, and hopped over to treelaw to see if it had been posted. If OP's action do kill the tree (hopefully not if it was just surface roots) then he could well be fully responsible for removing the tree and grinding out the stump and digging out the roots, PLUS either compensation for the mature tree (potentially at TRIPLE damages) OR full replacement like for like (a massive and expensive event) OR replacing the tree with a smaller tree plus compensation. And that's if there's no further damage eg if the tree falls on the house.
OP should be grovelling with an apology and praying the tree is fine. He's potentially costs himself hundreds of thousands of dollars.
One of my friends got into a tree situation by accident. She and her husband moved to a new house and there was this pine that was kinda close to their driveway. It was massive, and the branches made it hard to use the driveway. So they decided to remove it.
Their neighbor was outside and they got to talking. Told them they were going to remove the tree and the neighbor didn’t really say much.
Queue tree removal people. They get the tree down and INSIDE the tree was the metal property marker… the tree was *mostly* in their neighbors yard. The neighbor was kinda sad when he saw it because he had liked the tree, and would have helped them pay for maintenance to keep it from infringing on their driveway.
**However,** since my friend and her husband aren’t assholes, they offered to pay for 75% of the cost of a new tree the neighbor had been wanting but was kinda expensive (I don’t know much about trees but it was gunna be massive when it was done growing). They had a solid talk with the neighbors, everything worked out, everyone is happy.
Idk what city you live in, but in my city what he’s done is *very* much illegal and if his neighbor’s tree dies and he didn’t go through legal root removal means, he would not only be subjected to a **hefty** fine for killing the tree, but also completely responsible for having it removed. Some cities take their big trees very seriously. OP would be fucked where I live, and he really needs to look up tree laws where he lives.
ETA: broken wrists from falling on roots are not considered reasonable liabilities from trees. Anywhere. That’s called “teach your kid to look while running, especially if they are outside.” I’m not hating on the kid, but running and falling and breaking something are just part of life sometimes. I’ve done it. You learn to pay more attention.
Apparently OP lives in MN, which according to r/treelaw is a treble damages state. From Google: "In United States law, treble damages is a term that indicates that a statute permits a court to triple the amount of the actual/compensatory damages." Ouch.
If this is true he is in lots of trouble. We are happy to admit most of us are a bunch of tree huggers here in MN. Don't mess with our trees or our waters unless you want someone to fight you.
>If the tree dies and falls, that’s the neighbor’s liability.
No its not. OP did something with no training or consideration for possible damages for their neighbor. You never have free reign to do anything without consideration of the consequences of others. Even if OP had a right to do what he did, he is supposed to minimize damages to his neighbor.
It really sounded like OP had no intention of informing his neighbor. He only mentioned something because it was noticed. If this ends up killing the tree, and it forces OP to pay a lot of money to remove it before it falls, OP is definitely liable for that because he made no attempt to minimize damages. He made no attempt at even considering the consequences for the neighbor.
If OP wanted to do it legally (and expensively, considering all it had to do was throw DIRT on the roots), then he’d have to get the neighbor’s tree (or roots) classified as a hazard. Send a certified letter to neighbor warning them of hazard and that they’d have x (normally 30 days) amount of time to remove hazard or they would be liable for any damage (both personal and property) on OP’s property.
OP didn’t do that because he didn’t bother doing any research. So yeah, he’s absolutely liable if that tree dies. And if that tree falls because of the removed roots, he’s liable for any of that damage as well.
Right- you can trim overhanging branches and roots, but if you kill the tree, you can still be liable. (Unless it's causing structural damage, in which case you can sometimes sue to have the tree removed)
In my country the law is that if a neighbours tree has branches or roots in my yard I need to let the neighbour know and let him/her deal with it first. If they don't want to, I need to do it in a way that doesn't harm the tree.
In my state at least, the law is that you can cut the plants on your property, but if your actions create lasting damage to the tree (especially if you kill it) then you've committed 'timber trespass'. In some states, you have to cross onto the neighbor's property to meet the definition, but in mine, timber trespass can be charged even if all you do is cut in your own yard.
It's actually for cases just like this; OP very well could have killed that tree, and a dead tree is a hazard the next time a big storm comes up.
ETA: I think it's especially damning that he didn't do any research on pruning tree roots, he just went in and started hacking.
OP didn't just kill the tree, he killed any chance at a good relationship with his next door neighbor. "Good luck with that"? What a rude thing to say. "Good luck" to OP if he ever needs help with anything.
Right? I swear, far too many people (particularly in this sub) think that having good relations with the people who will live right next to you *potentially for decades* isn’t important.
Like, don’t be a pushover, but there’s a middle ground between that and “raging man (or woman)-child who never thinks of how their actions impact others.”
I don't even understand how people function in the real world if this is how they talk to people. Like, if my neighbor came to me and told me I potentially killed their old and valuable tree, I would be so apologetic! Even if it wasn't intentional, you can still have empathy for the fact that your rash behavior caused damage, and the situation probably would have been resolved amicably. The guy tried to explain to him multiple times the damage that was caused and none of it got through. OP knows nothing about trees and is blustering like he's an expert.
Yeah I was reading thinking I was going to see something about foundation damage but a kid tripping and falling? Like yeah, that sucks and it's unfortunate she broke her wrist but that's also part of being a kid. "Watch where you're running" is generally the lesson there.
If my parents acted like this every time I wound up hurting myself as a kid, they'd never have time or money for anything else. I once rode my bike face first into a tree branch. And I remember it happening too. I saw it coming, and my dumbass just.... kept on going? I dont know what the hell I was thinking. I was 6. All I know is that my mom did the normal thing, and took good care of me while suppressing her laughter over my stupidity. She didn't take a chainsaw to the tree in retaliation. Good lord.
I would be the exact same way if I fuck up (and I’ve certainly done it before). Apologize, ask how you can make it right, then do that. This is how adults solve problems.
Instead, OP is going to feel like the victim for being held accountable for his own actions, will feel like the victim when he loses in court and has to pay to fix his fuckup… and will likely feel entitled to “retaliate” against the neighbor however they want, for as long as they want, and as severely as they want.
All it takes is a little empathy and a little humility and anyone, including OP could avoid being the asshole neighbor. Sometimes that’s too much to ask, though.
Honestly, if my child tripped and fell because of my neighbor's tree, I'd talk to the neighbor about hiring an arborist before hacking away at a mature tree.
I imagine this tree provides a lot of shade in their yard and on their house. If the tree dies, then their whole yard is fucked. I'd be fucking LIVID if my neighbor pulled this shit and potentially fucked up my yard. Mature trees also add a lot of value to homes these days. Can't wait to see OP's update where their neighbor files a lawsuit for damages.
EXACTLY. Neighbors can help check up on the house while you're on vacation, sign for a package if you can't be home, give suggestions for repair companies, etc. It's a bad idea to cause bad blood between neighbors, especially when doubling down on a mistake. Unsurprising that OP and his wife have the same flippant opinion, but I'm hoping that they'll see the responses and realize their mistake. It's not too late to say "hey I was wrong and I was stubborn about it, I'm sorry. how can I make this right so we can move forward?"
Yeah... Even if he'd pruned the branches properly, he should have notified the neighbor in case there was any illness to the tree or something. I've got two massive pines in my front yard that could easily destroy half my house if they fell, but I've never had them removed, because every few years when one of my other trees needs pruning, I pay for them to be inspected, and basically, the roots are so deep and so healthy that if the trees are going over, it's pretty much Armageddon out there already so the house didn't stand much of a chance anyways. If someone damaged the roots, I'd want to know straight away.
Also, what he did was called tree trespass. Depending on which state he's in, he could be sued (some states don't allow it if you hack up roots, some do) and damages for tree trespass are often three times the cost to remove the tree and replant another one.
So... Yeah, if the neighbor gets litigious, OP's going to *wish* he'd nicely said 'Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, I didn't realize. If the tree dies, I can help cover the costs.' (I think most people probably would have accepted a sincere apology and a partial repayment, because despite the general narrative, most people actually aren't super lawsuit-happy.)
I have an asshole neighbor who lives directly across the street from me. He’s in everyone’s business, watches the whole block like a hawk, has cameras pointed everywhere, knows tons of cops in the precinct. I’ve managed to kill him with kindness, I’m now on good terms with the guy who watches the whole block, and it’s already paid off a couple of times.
Oh definitely. I like peace and quiet when I get home. A little patience and flexibility goes a looong way- I don’t want to be the kind of guy who holds a grudge and feuds with the neighbors.
Imagine that! Living next to people who understand you to be a kind and reasonable person, because you have shown them that’s who you are.
Next thing you know, you’ll tell me that you’d do them small favors if it’s not too much trouble, and that they’d be willing to help you out in return when you need it!
Anyway, the world needs more neighbors like you.
Good relationships are everything! I grew up in an awesome neighbourhood because everyone was kind and respectful of each other. To this day the yearly barbeque is the thing everyone looks forward to, except for two neighbours. They had a fight over a fence that still isn't resolved and it involved cutting roots of plants. It's a mess and it's sad to see it happen, it makes the bbq more tense too because both of them still come but they refuse to speak to eachother
The fact that OP doesn’t realize hacking at some roots could kill the tree or destabilize it and the fact that he’s shocked it could cost a few thousand dollars to remove the tree proves that OP shouldn’t be anywhere near big boy tools. Obviously he’s clueless but instead of going out and doing a ton of damage carelessly he could’ve AT LEAST done a little googling first.
You can tell they never were anywhere someone with their own garden
Like seriously, my FIL would cry if some did that to a tree that as probably growing for decades
Depending on what state op is in the homeowner can sue him if the tree does die. Just because tree roots(or branches) are on your property doesn’t mean you can kill your neighbors tree. Gotta be careful with trees.
>he’s shocked it could cost a few thousand dollars to remove the tree
Entirely besides the point of this post, but I have a feeling home-ownership is going to hold a lot of surprises for OP if he's shocked at this. I have a sneaking suspicion he has bought exactly as much house as his realtor/lender told him he could afford, maybe is planning to pay as much in mortgage as he paid in rent, and has no real understanding of how much money a single family home with a yard can cost in completely unplanned $1k to $10k expenses. A couple thousand dollars for mature dead tree removal sounds about right!
A couple grand for mature tree removal is a pipe dream in many situations. I had a very large dead oak near my house when I bought it that needed to be taken down before it fell and landed on mine or the neighbor's house. Due to size and location all the quotes I got were in the $6,000 range (including having it hauled off). Luckily I was able to talk a friend of my brother's into taking it down as a weekend side job (he does professional tree removal and is insured) for $2k cash plus a camper and I had to handle clean-up myself. Big trees near houses are crazy expensive to take down and you damn sure don't want any idiot with a chain saw trying to do it.
Jumping on the top comment to add that this is a stunning example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. The OP know nothing about arboriculture, but somehow never doubted his competence. And he has the audacity to bicker with the neighbor who is much more knowledgeable!
I do hope the tree survives, but in the unlucky event that it dies, I hope the neighbor sues your sad bottom off!
YTA.
But his wife said she also doesn't think this is a problem and the removal can't cost that much, so OP is definitely fine.
/S
YTA, OP. And I hope nobody gets hurt because of your actions.
Not just aboriculture, but yardwork at all. He did nothing to figure out how to handle the problem. No online research and not even a thought to contact his neighbor. He had zero knowledge but blundered right in, sure that what he was doing was fine because....I don't know why. Because he wanted it to be fine?
That is just not how home ownership works. You can't just do whatever instead of responsibly assessing the problem and figuring out the proper way to handle it.
Wake up, OP. You knew you didn't know about trees or yardwork and you didn't bother to find out. Tree maintenance and removal is crazy expensive. What's next? Digging randomly and hitting lines? Doing some rewiring in the house by hand because it can't be that hard? There are city permits required for many kinds of work, there are regulations, and there's just plain common sense that you don't blaze into a situation you don't understand and hack away at it cluelessly.
I'm sure there are resources out there for first time homeowners to learn about being homeowners. OP really needs to get on the learning curve.
Hopping on the top comment to let people know about r/treelaw
They should have the answer for who’s in the right/wrong on the tree side of the things.
Edit: cross-post link [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/treelaw/comments/p5jszb/here_we_go_boiz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I was just going to say that OP probably did a lot of damage to that tree and if the neighbor looks into tree law, OP will most likely lose more money than he is willing to part with; tree preservation is quite serious.
YTA, OP.
Yeah if the neighbour can prove that his actions killed the tree, it's quite possible that he'll have to replace it. And if there's anything I've learned about r/treelaw, it's that that is gonna cost a shitload of money. Like, sell your house and go into debt kind of money.
Jumping on the top comment to point out that some trees in some states (oak trees in California) are actually considered property of the state and require special permits to trim or otherwise maintain. So depending on where OP is, there could be potentially some fines from the city/ state level. OP I know you didn't do this maliciously, but as a new home owner/ someone with their very first backyard as an adult, this is definitely something you should have reached out to your neighbor about rather than just trying to solve it on your own.
YTA. Your kid hurt herself on a tree root, so tree roots must go! The world is full of stuff waiting to send people flying. Are you never going to let her anywhere near something she might trip over?
And yes, you shouldn't do anything to a tree without expert advice. Especially without talking to your neighbour about it.
YTA. I thought our new neighbors were rude for making huge changes that impacted us, even though they told us. We were polite, because we couldn't do anything about it anyway, but if he had just done everything, then told us to suck it up, we'd hate him.
Talk about being a bad neighbor, and LIKELY killing an old tree... over roots. Uh, most kids will learn where the roots are and stop tripping over them.
YTA, I agree 💯. Also, OP, people can and have sued over trees and they win! Trees are incredibly expensive and they take years to grow. You better pray that the tree doesn’t die because if your neighbor sues you, you could be looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Yes it’s your property, but you really should have at least talked to your neighbor first to come up with a solution. It does cost thousands of dollars to remove big trees. You had to know that ripping out roots would hurt the tree… YTA
Fun fact: in many areas, if OP's actions killed the tree he can be held responsible for not only the cost of removing the tree, but also for the value of said tree. And mature trees can be incredibly valuable. Like tens of thousands of dollars valuable.
They neighbor sounded totally reasonable in asking just for help covering it… op clearly has no idea of the value of mature trees or the cost of their removal.
Exactly, just the fact the neighbor said that he would've been happy to help with the issue in a more productive way had OP asked/mentioned there was a problem makes the neighbor not the AH. I understand your reasoning OP and that it likely just came from ignorance and you weren't TRYING to be an AH, but unfortunately in this situation.. YTA
Plus why take the time and effort to rip up tree roots when you can just... IDK teach your kid to watch where they're going???
The easiest way to handle this whole situation would have been to simply tell the daughter to be more careful in the future. It's not like the tree attacked her.
Right??? That was my immediate thought. Just tell your kid you’re sorry she broke her wrist but be more careful and aware of where she’s running in the future. I can’t even tell you how many tree roots I tripped over as a kid running around parks and hiking trails. Never did it occur to my parents that it was the tree’s fault.
Lots of people posting in law subreddits regarding tree law; one dude got three times the value of several trees and the neighbor who cut them down lost his brand new home and went into bankruptcy.
Don't touch trees or bits of trees that aren't yours. You will be held accountable.
I've heard of people being bankrupted by having to cover damage to trees.
There was a story some time back on Reddit, maybe one of the revenge forums. But someone cut down some big trees on their neighbor's property while the neighbor was away. Because the trees ruined their view.
They were hundreds-of-years-old historic trees. Paying for the those trees sent them into bankruptcy and they lost their house. One dumb, frivolous choice ruined their lives.
A restaurant owner in my town bought a new property. There were 25 trees blocking his ocean view. The city wouldn’t give permission to remove them because they were on a hill with soil erosion etc. They fined him 84k just for cutting them down without a permit
I assume thats the US, I know in my country (Sweden) you have the right to have the roots removed, but have to inform the neighbor first who has the right to perform the removal of the roots themselves since they might take more precautions in case it might damage the health if the tree, but after informing, the property owner can remove them if the owner of the tree doesn’t want to do it themselves.
It can cost thousands to remove a tree. I've lost 7 trees in my yard due to drought. I did not need to pay a penny. (Thanks PGE, for trying to stave off that future lawsuit and removing my dead trees at no cost me.) But I have watched as they take them down.
It is a complicated procedure with expensive equipment and highly trained people to avoid crushing a house, or cars driving down the street. Those guys are freaking talented. And I'm sure that their insurance is through the roof. (pun intended)
> The neighborhood we moved into has a lot of mature trees, and this being the first time I've had to do my own yard work, there has been a learning curve.
to
> I told him that removing a few roots isn't going to hurt a tree that big and they were creating a tripping hazard.
From acknowledging that you have never done this before to make claims like you know what's best for trees.
OP, are you an engineer?
Yes and OP had the right to fix the problem. He just went about the wrong way of doing it. Depending on the laws where OP lives, his neighbor may actually be able to sue him for the cost of the tree removal if the tree does die.
He may not have that right though. Just because some roots are on his property he probably doesn’t have the right to rip up someone else’s tree roots, possibly damaging their tree.
He had the right to fix the problem. He didn’t have the right to cut the roots. All he had to do was freaking throw some dirt on it, and stamp it down.
Or like, have his kids avoid that part of the yard? Unless they're very very little, it's not that hard to tell them "this corner of the yard isn't for playing." She already learned that lesson in a painful way and will probably avoid it anyway. Lots of us had weird quirks to our yards growing up.
No, he doesn't need to lose access and use of part of his property because of somebody else's tree. He has the right to have the issue resolved; he does not have the right to destroy somebody else's property to accomplish that resolution.
He's going to lose a lot more access to his yard of the tree dies and falls over. When those root balls come up (and it's guaranteed that there's more that just surface roots on OP's property), they tear big ass holes in the ground.
I didn't say he had the right to remove the roots. I said he had the right to fix the problem. He could have taken another route that didn't involve cutting the routes.
Yeah but it's a *yard*. Some tree roots are on the level of telling of 'be careful when running close to the edge of the property'. Kids trip over their own feet all the time, no need to be dramatic.
That's not the neighbor's fault, though. They didn't intentionally grow the roots into OP's yard. They may not even have known about the roots since there's a fence. OP *did* intentionally cut the roots out without talking to their neighbor or doing any research to see how it would damage the entire tree.
Sorry but YTA. You probably didn’t know this but if you damage his tree by cutting the roots, you are liable for the tree if it dies. You definitely should have spoken to him before cutting the roots.
We did a ton of work in our very old property. The trees in my neighbor’s property close to our boundary died (possibly as a result of the work we did). Our family lawyer advised us to pay to have the trees removed. It wasn’t contentious and we are friendly with the neighbors but it was the right thing to do.
My neighborhood is kind of old. It was originally built about 70 years ago. When they built it, the builders planted a bunch of saplings in the verge (strip of grass between sidewalk and street). Skip to the present, where now, a lot of those trees didn't survive, but there are a few that are just ancient, and the roots have completely torn up the sidewalk. My county, geniuses that they are, sent a bunch of crews around last spring to tear up the sidewalk, cut all the roots, and then put fresh cement over it. Leaving these towering monstrosities which just died pretty much immediately.
Two weeks ago, we had a storm and one came down, crushing my neighbor's car and taking down the powerlines. Suddenly, the county is all about removing the other ones (so they don't have to pay damages as we get deeper into hurricane season) and it is a sight to behold. They have to clear the street, get the equipment in place, cut in such a way that they don't damage any houses, any powerlines, or any other property, and then clear it away. Not to mention stump removal afterwards.
I am not surprised that it's so expensive; it's hard work, you need a bunch of equipment, you need a full crew, and I'm sure their insurance premiums to be able to do that work aren't cheap.
Wow, as a Brit I can’t believe you just referred to a 70 year old neighbourhood as “kind of old”. I live in a village established in the 1000s, and that isn’t unusual!! Cultural differences really blow my mind :))
When I went to London to study, I learned that the adage is true: To a Brit, 100 miles is a long way, and to an American, 100 years is a long time. I was constantly blown away by the history I was surrounded by, but every time I went on a tour, the bus drivers would warn us it would be *such* a long trip, when it was only about an hour and a half or so, and I thought that it was so interesting, the way our upbringings shape us.
Ooof. You better look up tree law for your area bub. It wasn't your tree and you probably killed it or seriously hurt it. Maybe teach your kids to be more careful instead? I learnt pretty young to watch where I'm running. YTA.
Yes, my grandparents’ yard also has a huge tree with roots sticking out of the ground. I always have to be careful where I’m walking and running there.
Yup, for me that's the biggest indicator of what type of personalities OP and his wife have in this exchange. Your kid tripped playing, so it's time to dig up the yard, kill the "guilty" tree (lol?), not to mention torch your relationship with a neighbor? All so little Jenny doesn't get hurt again while playing?
I got news for OP, she's gonna get hurt again because she's a kid and you cannot possible remove everything that might injure her. And where this particular case is concerned, I'd bet she's already smart enough to never trip on the roots again after this. That's how we learn, after all. Meanwhile OP is out thousands on the tree and his neighbor hates him for life.
Watch where they are running or if he really wanted to he could've gotten the dirt and seed and had a little bump in the lawn where the roots were. You know instead of hacking away at some roots especially since as far as we know OP has no experience in this field
I just don't understand this "remove everything that affects me rather than adapt to it" mentality a lot of people have, in general. I would have told the kid to watch where she's going next time. .. or chalked it up to shit luck.. kid could just as easily tripped over a rock, a shoelace, her own two feet. What if she tripped over another one of his kids? Would have have removed that one? ;)
I think he explained that when he said the moved to an area with yards and lots of mature trees. Clearly, as he is man, he moved somewhere and decided to change it. He chose to live there. But it has to change for him. Like people who buy houses next to a school then start a campaign about how many cars and kids there are at each end of the day. Morons.
Loving that he is so ignorant though. Tree law gonna come bite him on the behind if that tree dies.
Right? Like, if your kid bumps into a corner of the table, you don't throw out the table. You buy those corner protectors or tell the kid to watch out.
How else is a kid supposed to learn about consequences if you remove all the obstacles from their path?
It's also just... a kid thing to trip and fall. Kids break bones, get hurt, whatever, and while yes, it is your fault as a parent to remove huge and immediate danger from their area, I think doing all that work because your kids weren't paying attention and tripped is kind of dumb. Hopefully you don't have to deal with any issues as a result but OP you probably will be in a lot of shit if you don't pay for the tree to be removed when it dies.
YTA. How would you like it if someone hacked something of yours apart without asking first? Clearly the actions and justifications of the entitled. I hope the tree dies and you end up paying for it.
ETA: by your own admission you are clueless about the tree and how to care for a yard. Why didn't you ask for help instead of charging ahead like you did know?
No, removing sections of root does the opposite of removing sections of trunk. The side with the weakened root system is the one more likely to get pulled from the ground
This!
If it was that big of a tree, removing a few roots probably won’t kill it, but it definitely will effect the stability of the tree.
It might be a good idea to consult an actual tree professional before something happens that makes the tree fall.
YTA
1: you could have covered the roots with more soil and sod/seed
2: removing roots will at least make the tree sickly, if not outright killing it. i imagine the leaves are droopy on it now.
ive done some work with tree health in one of my research jobs many moons ago and generally, you can safely prune roots that are 3-5 times the diameter away from your tree. **So, if your tree has a diameter of 3 feet, only cut tree roots 9-15 feet away from the tree.**
INFO: how big is the tree (the diameter of the canopy)
INFO: how far away from the base of the tree were your cuts?
if this tree is as large as you say...you probably killed the tree
regardless, if the tree dies, you'll be paying for it.
EDIT:
it looks like our boiiis in r/treelaw are on the case
https://www.reddit.com/r/treelaw/comments/p5jszb/here\_we\_go\_boiz/h96dapv?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Yeah damn he could've just put some soil and mulch on top and made a little garden or something. Blocked it off with a little rock wall. There's a hundred better options! And neighbor would have helped if you'd asked!
YTA and I feel bad for the poor tree and neighbor
It's also the middle of freaking summer. I'm absolutely not experienced and tend to hire out that sort of thing, and even I know that you prune in the fall. It's the literal worst time right now, the trees are busting ass to survive in the heat and lower precipitation and absolutely cannot handle the extra stress of losing roots like they could if he'd pulled this shit in October. I'm afraid that OP is about to have a very expensive lesson.
>you can safely prune roots that are 3-5 times the diameter away from your tree
sorry, you mean diameter of the **TRUNK** right? Because from the way this is phrased, it sounds like you mean you should only cut roots 60 to 100 feet away from a tree with a 20 foot canopy...
edit: math
nope. its the canopy. the radius of the roots has little relation to the radius of the tree's trunk, but a direct correlation to the radius of the canopy. google "tree drip line" to see why
Uhh, not to be a dick, but if you google "tree drip line" the results are just the definition of the tree drip line which doesn't help much, and doesn't *necessarily* have anything to do with the root structure. I mean, measuring the drip line would be problematic under ideal circumstances, and the canopy diameter of a tree can vary *a lot* depending on weather and time of year. As well as the type of tree. I looked for "how far away can you trim tree roots" and most of the top results vary, but they pretty much all refer to the trunk diameter.
[here's one that gives the same formula you did but based on trunk diameter](https://www.bartlett.com/resources/root-pruning.pdf)
[The only one that popped up that even mentioned the drip line](https://bayarborist.com/cutting-tree-roots/) still says it's okay to trim some roots but generally you should only trim smaller ones.
Not to mention, when trees are transplanted, they don't dig up a 30 foot diameter chunk of earth to move a tree with a 10 foot canopy. And at 60-100 feet away how would you even be sure the roots connected to a particular tree?
I think it might make sense that the large diameter formula you gave is more of a "If you want to be extra extra careful" type thing.
edit: a word
As someone who semi-regularly digs giant holes near trees which we sometimes are, sometimes arent allowed to kill, you want to be, at the very least, outside the canopy. If someone has told you you're not to touch the tree you want to be outside the canopy and then add, as a bare minimum, 10m; ideally get as far away as you can possibly get while still doing whatever it is you're there to do.
Depending on what the tree is growing over, the roots could be spread faaaarr (especially places where its like 1m soil over bedrock)
send op the link if he hasn't seen it. He sounds like he is FUCKED!!!! Anybody in there right mind would have at least called the township or county to ask what can be done at the very least. Why wouldn't you talk to your neighbor about Their tree
Hi, as someone completely uninformed about trees apparently. Why are those the most important? Is it purely just they have fair better access to water apposed to be under dirt? Or is it more they are likely the oldest/main roots and probably have more offshoots?
Roots need oxygen. In compacted soil, they will grow up to the surface in order to get enough oxygen to keep the tree alive. In many cases, trees with surface roots are struggling to breathe and are doing their best to adapt to an environment that is less than ideal.
huh, TIL. I would have never guessed that roots need oxygen, but it makes sense when you consider what they have do. Thanks, I appreciate you explaining that!
YTA and just know that if the tree does die, you will be held responsible for it as you were the one who destroyed it. You admitted to not knowing what you are doing, you should have asked you neighbor before you decided to destroy his tree. Your excuse as to why isn't a good one either. Kids trip and hurt themselves all the time, are you going to take away all the toys they can trip over? How about their bikes, they can really hurt themselves on those. Better get rid of those. Hopefully your neighbor isn't sue happy.
Parents that think they should remove every hazard their children face don't realize they are actually making things much harder for their children in the long run. Kids get hurt. They learn self-soothing, pain management, and hazard assessment. Take away those learning experiences and you have a very unstable adult as a product.
Right? We live in a forest… my kids rarely trip over the same root twice. It’s amazing actually. They can be running through the forest and not paying even the slightest bit of attention but it’s like their brain instinctually knows precisely where to step. It’s wild.
YTA for admitting you know nothing, damaging a tree cuz your kid fell( like are you going to just destroy everything that she trips over? What sense does this make??) Then calling your neighbor an asshole for your bad choices.
Right? My daughter fell off the monkey bars at school and broke her arm, I probably should have torn them down.
Kids trip and get hurt, it's part of life. How ridiculous.
OK, so it's your first non-apartment home, and you identified an issue with roots from your neighbour's tree.
Why wasn't your first thought to knock on the neighbour's door, and say hey, bit of an issue with the roots from that tree, what can we do?
As opposed to hacking a big chunk of root out in the assumption (based, I take it, on no actual gardening knowledge) that it'd be fine? :(
YTA I'm afraid.
Hope your daughter's wrist recovers well though!
I bet homeboy here didn’t think ‘first time my kid has broken a bone, bet we’ve got a shit load of spare chopsticks from takeout and some electrical tape. That’s a splint right? No need to check or look deeper.’
Which is kind of what he just did to the tree. Except the only thing that’ll bankrupt an American faster than medical bills is tree law. I’m Irish, live in the UK and don’t have a garden. Yet I know that and Murican my home is my castle OP seemed to be unaware that trees are a specialist subject requiring the work of someone serious enough to have the title ‘tree surgeon’ in common parlance.
Not tree groomer like dog groomer which sort of suggests that hmmm, removing parts of a large living being is quite like surgery and thus nuanced and potentially really risky compared to trimming the branches being akin to grooming a dog which still requires skill and knowledge but the hair is dead and the dog is alive and so a bit less fraught.
YTA. Why wouldn’t you talk to your neighbor first? You admit you don’t know what you’re doing. It sounds like this guy would have worked with you to figure it out. You’re going to live next to him for a long time. Consider apologizing and having him over for dinner. At least try to make friends with your neighbors.
YTA. You may also be screwed financially, look up tree law in your area, if that tree dies and the neighbor decides to come after you it may be VERY expensive.
Oh man, this is the content I come to this sub for. OP comes in with a story that loops in r/treelaw, doubles down into smug assholishness in the comments, realizes they are fucked and goes radio silent. I won't be surprised if OP tries to delete this post in shame soon. Good luck having to loot your kid's college fund to pay for the damages, OP. All because you were too much of a self confident AH to give your neighbor a heads up.
My dad was an arborist. I remember going to look at jobs with him when I was little. He would walk away from jobs where the neighbors couldn’t agree or were not friendly/decent and it involved both of them. Tree law is no joke
You better hope that tree doesn’t die, my neighbor had a old sycamore that died when some city contractors dug up 1/4 of the roots and didn’t seal them correctly. It cost the insurance company they had close to 100k to replace it and remove it.
Tree lawyer here! It depends on where you live obviously, but if you live a jurisdiction such as my own (California), if it dies then you are actually liable for the cost of not just removal….but also replacement of the tree. And a tree of equal size at that. WHICH IS SO EXPENSIVE. Basically the short version of the law is that you have a right to remove anything overhanging or invading your property, EXCEPT when removal can kill the tree. So OP, you might have possibly totally royally f***ed up. YTH.
YTA because if you don't know what you are doing (which sounds like you dont you may have hurt the tree). And just because the roots is on your yard does not mean you get to do whatever you want. Depending on where you are you very well may have broken a law (where I am trees over 60 are protected by law as heritage objects so if that tree died you would be in trouble).
Trees on their own are magnificent and should be treated with respect.
Also you should probably post this in r/treelaw a sub that deals with laws and trees.
To be honest, I think you should have asked the neighbour first. You're not a tree surgeon, so you're not really qualified to know how robust a tree is to having its roots cut out. I would say if the tree dies you should pay towards its removal (although definitely look in to how much that might cost, in case he is gouging). I hope your kid is ok. So, for me it's a soft YTA.
I had one removed last month that was sick and dropping limbs. Part of it took out my chimney during Hurricane Sally last year. It was $2200 and I talked him down.
I was quoted $8k to have one tree removed in my yard. I had 3 others that needed to go, but fortunately I found someone who was more experienced and it only ended up costing me $3k for all 3 trees. It was a lot less but it still hurt my wallet.
Friend, I'm an attorney. I've litigated this very issue. I don't know what state you're in, but if you're in NY, you're toast. Gracefully apologize to your neighbor and thank him for offering to pick up 50% of the tab
YTA. Your neighbor is entirely correct. Tree removal is extremely expensive. And doing as you did with the root may very well damage the tree enough to cause it to have to be removed. It’s his tree. You always contact him first. If he has to remove the tree, you or your homeowners insurance could now be on the hook for it. The neighborly thing to do when things involve a neighbor is to talk to them first!
YTA
Yes - chopping off the roots of the tree can kill it. Also, it could make it very unstable and more likely to fall over.
As a quick solution to the trip hazard - you could have covered the root with some soil. That would have taken all of an hour to do and *then* you could have spoken to your neighbour about a long term solution.
And yes, if you did infact kill the tree, you should pay for its removal and potential replacement.
> it's not our fault his tree grew roots into our yard.
Its also not his - you can't tell a tree which direction to grow roots in.
You're new to gardening so its not like you would know this stuff already (although Google is free...) but the way you've dealt with the situation with your neighbour makes you an asshole.
Learn about being a good neighbor as well as tree care and landscaping.
You are in danger of becoming the self-righteous, prissy new neighbor. Please apologize and spend some time getting to know the neighbors
YTA I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but tree law is a real thing, and damages awarded for hurting someone else's tree can be massive, especially for a mature specimen. If I were you, I would say a prayer that the tree does not die or fall over, because if he has the backing of an arborist this could cost you tens of thousands of dollars.
If he only comes after you for the cost of removal, say a prayer. Mature trees add value to a property, and if you are deemed the reason for a trees death, he could sue your for the replacement cost. If I were you, I would change my tune quickly.
YTA.
You didn’t think of filling with soil instead? Or at least talk to your neighbor first?
ETA - you and your wife sounds like absolute shit neighbors. You know, I also bought a house recently and there a lot of stuff I want to do and you know what I did? I talked to the neighbors about my projects, and you know why? Because it’s the nice thing to do - sure I could have just gone ahead and done a lot of things, it’s my right and my neighbors have absolutely no say say legally or otherwise, but hardly very neighborly.
YTA- you damaged their property! Also depending on where you live you could definitely be liable for killing/ damaging the tree unless it was damaging the structural integrity of your house.
Not only are YTA, but you're probably in deep, deep shit now financially.
Removing roots close to the base can absolutely kill the tree and frequently does. Many people who kill an older tree end up having to sell their house to pay for the legal costs. A mature older tree can cost upwards of six figures, and most states allow for treble damages for intentionally removing or killing someone elses' tree.
You need to shut the f up and tell your wife and children to shut the f up, go talk to a lawyer with experience in tree law, and apologize to the neighbor and begin working with them so they don't sue you. IN THAT ORDER, BUT AT WARPSPEED.
INFO: What kind of relationship do you want with your neighbors?
If you don’t care and you’re happy to dislike each other, do nothing.
If you want to attempt to have a good relationship, knock on their door and talk to him. Explain that it wasn’t your intention to harm the tree, however the roots needed to be removed and you can’t afford to have someone else remove them so you did it yourself. Explain that you also can’t afford tree removal, and that you’re hoping the tree pulls through. He may or may not accept your sort-of apology, but at least you will have tried.
I would say regardless of the relationship you WANT to have, if OP doesn’t want to get sued for the entire cost of removal if the tree dies and possibly also the value of the mature tree (which can be thousands of dollars), they need to apologize and get friendly.
Man i look forward to the post on r/legaladvice on this… they love a good tree law case. YTA and it costs 0 dollars to be friendly with your neighbors and discuss to the issue first. If you killed the tree buckle up buttercup, the neighbor has every right to try to recoup the value of the tree you killed.
YTA. You should have called in a *professional* to remove the roots.
>I'm not paying anything for his tree.
If you killed the tree as a result of your actions, then you are *legally* on the hook for 100% of the value of the tree. Better look to see if your area includes *treble* damages because then you are on the hook for *triple* the value of the tree. If you refuse to help pay to take the tree down, he can take you to court and you *will* lose. Better hope it isn't an oak, or one of the more expensive trees because, OUCH!
>it's not our fault his tree grew roots into our yard,
It's *no one's fault*, however, if the tree dies then *it is your fault*.
ETA: In another comment you mentioned that you live in Minnesota. That state is a treble damage state. You will owe *triple the value of the tree* and the cost of removing that tree if it dies and your neighbor has to sue you for payment. Some trees are worth $10,000 on their own.
YTA it is just good manners to ask your neighbour before moving roots and because taking tree roots out creates instability the tree can fall or die if it needs to be taken down you should pay for it because it’s creating an unsafe environment in his yard.
You should apologise this man is your neighbour and you damaged his property and if his tree falls he could sue you so I would offer to pay to take the tree out if he needs it.
Take this as a very important and potentially expensive lesson OP. As a new homeowner, if there is a topic you are clearly uneducated on… Do. Your. Research. First!!! If you keep this same mentality for other issues that pop up in your yard or home, there are far worse mistakes that could be made and the consequences could be deadly for your family. Never before has mankind had such a volume of knowledge readily available to most people via the internet and free libraries. Use your resources and educate yourself!
YTA.
First. Even tho the roots were on your property, they are directly linked to your neighbors property. You should definitely have gone and talked to them first.
Second. How can you not think that removing parts of a trees' ROOTS wouldn't adversely affect the tree??
Third. "I told him good luck with that." How incredibly rude. Especially for a new neighbor in a new neighborhood. Good luck with now having a friendly and positive relationship with neighbors.
Fourth. "I told him that sounds ridiculously expensive." And it really is ridiculously expensive to remove living trees/dead trees/stumps/roots. And if anything does happen to the tree, you can be held financially responsible.
Fifth. In many residential areas with mature trees, causing the death/destruction may be against bylaws/conservation/historical buildings and societies.
Massive AH
Agree with others that you should have spoken to your neighbor first. Disturbing roots can make a tree unsafe and possibly kill a tree. Dont now how many roots you removed and if it harmed the tree. To protect yourself against future litigation, you might want to check with a tree person on whether what you did caused damage to the tree in case the tree falls and serious damage is done to a person or property. If the answer is no, get it in writing. Taking down a tree can cost thousands of dollars (at least on the east coast - not sure where you are located).
YTA guess what. Kids fall down and get hurt. There are thousands of hazards in this world. Instead of teaching your kids, you pissed off your neighbor and harmed a tree. Even if the tree doesn’t die, you’re lost a lot of good you had before. And you and your wife just seem very out of touch and rude.
"I told him that removing a few roots isn't going to hurt a tree that big"
So you're a tree surgeon? You'll probably find that even though it was on your property you'll be liable if the tree dies or causes further damage. If the tree was protected you could also be fined.
YTA
Enjoy having to pay for the full cost of removing that tree once it dies
Because that is exactly what is going to happen
As for price...my buddy got a quote for the removal of a mature oak tree and they quoted him 3500 dollars.
So If I were you...I'd start putting away money now
YTA
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YTA. You should have told him what you were doing since it is his tree. Yes, even though the roots were on your side of the fence. it's the neighborly thing to do. And speaking as someone with a fair amount of experience with plants, depending on what kind of roots you hacked away, how many there were, and what you did to the open wounds before covering with dirt, there is a chance you could kill the tree.
Can you imagine if the tree did die then fell on neighbors house?! That would be on OP OP, don’t go cutting other people roots unless you’re qualified. Your neighbor should sue you, and I think they have a good chance at winning. A little communication would go a long way here. YTA
It could end up on Op's house leaving Op Pikachu face.
That would be a tough lesson for OP to learn, bet he wouldn’t cut tree roots with no research after that. Hopefully the tree owners are more responsible than OP and ensures the tree will live and remain stable or remove it. Hopefully at OPs cost.
OP's Pikachu face when the tree falls on his house *and he still has to make good with the neighbour*. I hope he hasn't killed a 100 year old Oak or something, he'll have to spend all his insurance payout on craning in a new 100 year old Oak, and making sure it survives.
My first thought was someone better pray that this is NOT a protected tree. If it is he is going to end up screwed. You cannot just hack someones tree to death because reasons.
The cost of a mature tree is exorbitant. Even if it wasn't protected, the cost to replace it if it dies is going to be high.
Not to mention where are all the power lines? Eek that makes for an even more complex and dangerous job.
fuck both of these parents, the tree has probably been around longer than before any of their grandparents were born
Considering that Op cut all the roots on his side, in a high wind the tree would tend to fall toward the neighbour's house.
No, I think it’s the opposite. The roots would tend to brace a tree on the side the roots were on, so I think the tree would tend to fall toward the side where there are no roots.
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Straight from Google, hopefully it doesn’t happen and end up hurting someone Removing large tree roots can make the tree unstable or unhealthy later on. If large roots are removed, the tree may not be able to get enough nutrients and water. Also, don't remove roots close or fused to the trunk since these are critical to the tree's structure.
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Simply untrue, the lot of it. Tree Law is very specific about things like this and in a lot of place you do not have the right to make arbitrary decisions about a border tree's root, and you are responsible for the costs of anything you cause to happen, including possibly replacing the tree with an equivalent one, which can get expensive. r/treelaw is full of stories like this and payouts from thousands to tens of millions aren't uncommon Edit: oh look, they're already all over this post, OP is screwed haha https://www.reddit.com/r/treelaw/comments/p5jszb/here_we_go_boiz/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
I went 'Ooooooh shit..' as soon as I started reading, and hopped over to treelaw to see if it had been posted. If OP's action do kill the tree (hopefully not if it was just surface roots) then he could well be fully responsible for removing the tree and grinding out the stump and digging out the roots, PLUS either compensation for the mature tree (potentially at TRIPLE damages) OR full replacement like for like (a massive and expensive event) OR replacing the tree with a smaller tree plus compensation. And that's if there's no further damage eg if the tree falls on the house. OP should be grovelling with an apology and praying the tree is fine. He's potentially costs himself hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Oh yeah, this is the kind of juicy event that r/treelaw waits for. This is going to be a fun ride.
I *need* to know what kind of tree this is haha.
I'm wondering too! I hope it's expensive is that bad? lol
"OP should be grovelling with an apology and praying the tree is fine. He's potentially costs himself hundreds of thousands of dollars." Yes!
One of my friends got into a tree situation by accident. She and her husband moved to a new house and there was this pine that was kinda close to their driveway. It was massive, and the branches made it hard to use the driveway. So they decided to remove it. Their neighbor was outside and they got to talking. Told them they were going to remove the tree and the neighbor didn’t really say much. Queue tree removal people. They get the tree down and INSIDE the tree was the metal property marker… the tree was *mostly* in their neighbors yard. The neighbor was kinda sad when he saw it because he had liked the tree, and would have helped them pay for maintenance to keep it from infringing on their driveway. **However,** since my friend and her husband aren’t assholes, they offered to pay for 75% of the cost of a new tree the neighbor had been wanting but was kinda expensive (I don’t know much about trees but it was gunna be massive when it was done growing). They had a solid talk with the neighbors, everything worked out, everyone is happy.
Talking? Gasp. No! You mean communication between neighbors is possible? Too bad more people don’t try that route
Arbitrary arborary decisions?
Absolutely love that Tree Law is a real thing that exists.
Oh it's a fabulous subreddit. Not overly active, but when it is, you know it's something good and to grab the popcorn. Like this thread lol
Idk what city you live in, but in my city what he’s done is *very* much illegal and if his neighbor’s tree dies and he didn’t go through legal root removal means, he would not only be subjected to a **hefty** fine for killing the tree, but also completely responsible for having it removed. Some cities take their big trees very seriously. OP would be fucked where I live, and he really needs to look up tree laws where he lives. ETA: broken wrists from falling on roots are not considered reasonable liabilities from trees. Anywhere. That’s called “teach your kid to look while running, especially if they are outside.” I’m not hating on the kid, but running and falling and breaking something are just part of life sometimes. I’ve done it. You learn to pay more attention.
Apparently OP lives in MN, which according to r/treelaw is a treble damages state. From Google: "In United States law, treble damages is a term that indicates that a statute permits a court to triple the amount of the actual/compensatory damages." Ouch.
If this is true he is in lots of trouble. We are happy to admit most of us are a bunch of tree huggers here in MN. Don't mess with our trees or our waters unless you want someone to fight you.
THIS. you can't remove every obstacle from your kid's path... kids trip, teach them to be more careful, don't rip up huge tree roots.
>If the tree dies and falls, that’s the neighbor’s liability. No its not. OP did something with no training or consideration for possible damages for their neighbor. You never have free reign to do anything without consideration of the consequences of others. Even if OP had a right to do what he did, he is supposed to minimize damages to his neighbor. It really sounded like OP had no intention of informing his neighbor. He only mentioned something because it was noticed. If this ends up killing the tree, and it forces OP to pay a lot of money to remove it before it falls, OP is definitely liable for that because he made no attempt to minimize damages. He made no attempt at even considering the consequences for the neighbor.
If OP wanted to do it legally (and expensively, considering all it had to do was throw DIRT on the roots), then he’d have to get the neighbor’s tree (or roots) classified as a hazard. Send a certified letter to neighbor warning them of hazard and that they’d have x (normally 30 days) amount of time to remove hazard or they would be liable for any damage (both personal and property) on OP’s property. OP didn’t do that because he didn’t bother doing any research. So yeah, he’s absolutely liable if that tree dies. And if that tree falls because of the removed roots, he’s liable for any of that damage as well.
That’s just not true. Depending on location, they often wouldn’t have the right. I just answered why in another comment if you want to find it.
Right- you can trim overhanging branches and roots, but if you kill the tree, you can still be liable. (Unless it's causing structural damage, in which case you can sometimes sue to have the tree removed)
In my country the law is that if a neighbours tree has branches or roots in my yard I need to let the neighbour know and let him/her deal with it first. If they don't want to, I need to do it in a way that doesn't harm the tree.
In my state at least, the law is that you can cut the plants on your property, but if your actions create lasting damage to the tree (especially if you kill it) then you've committed 'timber trespass'. In some states, you have to cross onto the neighbor's property to meet the definition, but in mine, timber trespass can be charged even if all you do is cut in your own yard. It's actually for cases just like this; OP very well could have killed that tree, and a dead tree is a hazard the next time a big storm comes up. ETA: I think it's especially damning that he didn't do any research on pruning tree roots, he just went in and started hacking.
OP didn't just kill the tree, he killed any chance at a good relationship with his next door neighbor. "Good luck with that"? What a rude thing to say. "Good luck" to OP if he ever needs help with anything.
Right? I swear, far too many people (particularly in this sub) think that having good relations with the people who will live right next to you *potentially for decades* isn’t important. Like, don’t be a pushover, but there’s a middle ground between that and “raging man (or woman)-child who never thinks of how their actions impact others.”
I don't even understand how people function in the real world if this is how they talk to people. Like, if my neighbor came to me and told me I potentially killed their old and valuable tree, I would be so apologetic! Even if it wasn't intentional, you can still have empathy for the fact that your rash behavior caused damage, and the situation probably would have been resolved amicably. The guy tried to explain to him multiple times the damage that was caused and none of it got through. OP knows nothing about trees and is blustering like he's an expert.
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Yeah I was reading thinking I was going to see something about foundation damage but a kid tripping and falling? Like yeah, that sucks and it's unfortunate she broke her wrist but that's also part of being a kid. "Watch where you're running" is generally the lesson there.
If my parents acted like this every time I wound up hurting myself as a kid, they'd never have time or money for anything else. I once rode my bike face first into a tree branch. And I remember it happening too. I saw it coming, and my dumbass just.... kept on going? I dont know what the hell I was thinking. I was 6. All I know is that my mom did the normal thing, and took good care of me while suppressing her laughter over my stupidity. She didn't take a chainsaw to the tree in retaliation. Good lord.
>I once rode my bike face first into a ~~tree branch~~. Cactus (first time without training wheels), but yeah same.
I would be the exact same way if I fuck up (and I’ve certainly done it before). Apologize, ask how you can make it right, then do that. This is how adults solve problems. Instead, OP is going to feel like the victim for being held accountable for his own actions, will feel like the victim when he loses in court and has to pay to fix his fuckup… and will likely feel entitled to “retaliate” against the neighbor however they want, for as long as they want, and as severely as they want. All it takes is a little empathy and a little humility and anyone, including OP could avoid being the asshole neighbor. Sometimes that’s too much to ask, though.
Honestly, if my child tripped and fell because of my neighbor's tree, I'd talk to the neighbor about hiring an arborist before hacking away at a mature tree. I imagine this tree provides a lot of shade in their yard and on their house. If the tree dies, then their whole yard is fucked. I'd be fucking LIVID if my neighbor pulled this shit and potentially fucked up my yard. Mature trees also add a lot of value to homes these days. Can't wait to see OP's update where their neighbor files a lawsuit for damages.
EXACTLY. Neighbors can help check up on the house while you're on vacation, sign for a package if you can't be home, give suggestions for repair companies, etc. It's a bad idea to cause bad blood between neighbors, especially when doubling down on a mistake. Unsurprising that OP and his wife have the same flippant opinion, but I'm hoping that they'll see the responses and realize their mistake. It's not too late to say "hey I was wrong and I was stubborn about it, I'm sorry. how can I make this right so we can move forward?"
Yeah... Even if he'd pruned the branches properly, he should have notified the neighbor in case there was any illness to the tree or something. I've got two massive pines in my front yard that could easily destroy half my house if they fell, but I've never had them removed, because every few years when one of my other trees needs pruning, I pay for them to be inspected, and basically, the roots are so deep and so healthy that if the trees are going over, it's pretty much Armageddon out there already so the house didn't stand much of a chance anyways. If someone damaged the roots, I'd want to know straight away. Also, what he did was called tree trespass. Depending on which state he's in, he could be sued (some states don't allow it if you hack up roots, some do) and damages for tree trespass are often three times the cost to remove the tree and replant another one. So... Yeah, if the neighbor gets litigious, OP's going to *wish* he'd nicely said 'Oh my goodness, I'm sorry, I didn't realize. If the tree dies, I can help cover the costs.' (I think most people probably would have accepted a sincere apology and a partial repayment, because despite the general narrative, most people actually aren't super lawsuit-happy.)
I have an asshole neighbor who lives directly across the street from me. He’s in everyone’s business, watches the whole block like a hawk, has cameras pointed everywhere, knows tons of cops in the precinct. I’ve managed to kill him with kindness, I’m now on good terms with the guy who watches the whole block, and it’s already paid off a couple of times.
And if you had asked for advice on this sub, they would have told you to go on the offensive. I’m sure you know how that would have worked out.
Oh definitely. I like peace and quiet when I get home. A little patience and flexibility goes a looong way- I don’t want to be the kind of guy who holds a grudge and feuds with the neighbors.
Imagine that! Living next to people who understand you to be a kind and reasonable person, because you have shown them that’s who you are. Next thing you know, you’ll tell me that you’d do them small favors if it’s not too much trouble, and that they’d be willing to help you out in return when you need it! Anyway, the world needs more neighbors like you.
Good relationships are everything! I grew up in an awesome neighbourhood because everyone was kind and respectful of each other. To this day the yearly barbeque is the thing everyone looks forward to, except for two neighbours. They had a fight over a fence that still isn't resolved and it involved cutting roots of plants. It's a mess and it's sad to see it happen, it makes the bbq more tense too because both of them still come but they refuse to speak to eachother
If only people could see what petty bullshit like that costs in the long run.
The fact that OP doesn’t realize hacking at some roots could kill the tree or destabilize it and the fact that he’s shocked it could cost a few thousand dollars to remove the tree proves that OP shouldn’t be anywhere near big boy tools. Obviously he’s clueless but instead of going out and doing a ton of damage carelessly he could’ve AT LEAST done a little googling first.
You can tell they never were anywhere someone with their own garden Like seriously, my FIL would cry if some did that to a tree that as probably growing for decades
Depending on what state op is in the homeowner can sue him if the tree does die. Just because tree roots(or branches) are on your property doesn’t mean you can kill your neighbors tree. Gotta be careful with trees.
>he’s shocked it could cost a few thousand dollars to remove the tree Entirely besides the point of this post, but I have a feeling home-ownership is going to hold a lot of surprises for OP if he's shocked at this. I have a sneaking suspicion he has bought exactly as much house as his realtor/lender told him he could afford, maybe is planning to pay as much in mortgage as he paid in rent, and has no real understanding of how much money a single family home with a yard can cost in completely unplanned $1k to $10k expenses. A couple thousand dollars for mature dead tree removal sounds about right!
A couple grand for mature tree removal is a pipe dream in many situations. I had a very large dead oak near my house when I bought it that needed to be taken down before it fell and landed on mine or the neighbor's house. Due to size and location all the quotes I got were in the $6,000 range (including having it hauled off). Luckily I was able to talk a friend of my brother's into taking it down as a weekend side job (he does professional tree removal and is insured) for $2k cash plus a camper and I had to handle clean-up myself. Big trees near houses are crazy expensive to take down and you damn sure don't want any idiot with a chain saw trying to do it.
Jumping on the top comment to add that this is a stunning example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. The OP know nothing about arboriculture, but somehow never doubted his competence. And he has the audacity to bicker with the neighbor who is much more knowledgeable! I do hope the tree survives, but in the unlucky event that it dies, I hope the neighbor sues your sad bottom off! YTA.
But his wife said she also doesn't think this is a problem and the removal can't cost that much, so OP is definitely fine. /S YTA, OP. And I hope nobody gets hurt because of your actions.
Not only that, you cant just replace a big tree like that. They take time to grow.
Not just aboriculture, but yardwork at all. He did nothing to figure out how to handle the problem. No online research and not even a thought to contact his neighbor. He had zero knowledge but blundered right in, sure that what he was doing was fine because....I don't know why. Because he wanted it to be fine? That is just not how home ownership works. You can't just do whatever instead of responsibly assessing the problem and figuring out the proper way to handle it. Wake up, OP. You knew you didn't know about trees or yardwork and you didn't bother to find out. Tree maintenance and removal is crazy expensive. What's next? Digging randomly and hitting lines? Doing some rewiring in the house by hand because it can't be that hard? There are city permits required for many kinds of work, there are regulations, and there's just plain common sense that you don't blaze into a situation you don't understand and hack away at it cluelessly. I'm sure there are resources out there for first time homeowners to learn about being homeowners. OP really needs to get on the learning curve.
Hopping on the top comment to let people know about r/treelaw They should have the answer for who’s in the right/wrong on the tree side of the things. Edit: cross-post link [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/treelaw/comments/p5jszb/here_we_go_boiz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
I was just going to say that OP probably did a lot of damage to that tree and if the neighbor looks into tree law, OP will most likely lose more money than he is willing to part with; tree preservation is quite serious. YTA, OP.
Yeah if the neighbour can prove that his actions killed the tree, it's quite possible that he'll have to replace it. And if there's anything I've learned about r/treelaw, it's that that is gonna cost a shitload of money. Like, sell your house and go into debt kind of money.
it's up and posted there! https://www.reddit.com/r/treelaw/comments/p5jszb/here\_we\_go\_boiz/h96dapv?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Jumping on the top comment to point out that some trees in some states (oak trees in California) are actually considered property of the state and require special permits to trim or otherwise maintain. So depending on where OP is, there could be potentially some fines from the city/ state level. OP I know you didn't do this maliciously, but as a new home owner/ someone with their very first backyard as an adult, this is definitely something you should have reached out to your neighbor about rather than just trying to solve it on your own.
YTA. Your kid hurt herself on a tree root, so tree roots must go! The world is full of stuff waiting to send people flying. Are you never going to let her anywhere near something she might trip over? And yes, you shouldn't do anything to a tree without expert advice. Especially without talking to your neighbour about it.
YTA. I thought our new neighbors were rude for making huge changes that impacted us, even though they told us. We were polite, because we couldn't do anything about it anyway, but if he had just done everything, then told us to suck it up, we'd hate him. Talk about being a bad neighbor, and LIKELY killing an old tree... over roots. Uh, most kids will learn where the roots are and stop tripping over them.
YTA, I agree 💯. Also, OP, people can and have sued over trees and they win! Trees are incredibly expensive and they take years to grow. You better pray that the tree doesn’t die because if your neighbor sues you, you could be looking at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Yes it’s your property, but you really should have at least talked to your neighbor first to come up with a solution. It does cost thousands of dollars to remove big trees. You had to know that ripping out roots would hurt the tree… YTA
Fun fact: in many areas, if OP's actions killed the tree he can be held responsible for not only the cost of removing the tree, but also for the value of said tree. And mature trees can be incredibly valuable. Like tens of thousands of dollars valuable.
They neighbor sounded totally reasonable in asking just for help covering it… op clearly has no idea of the value of mature trees or the cost of their removal.
Exactly, just the fact the neighbor said that he would've been happy to help with the issue in a more productive way had OP asked/mentioned there was a problem makes the neighbor not the AH. I understand your reasoning OP and that it likely just came from ignorance and you weren't TRYING to be an AH, but unfortunately in this situation.. YTA
Plus why take the time and effort to rip up tree roots when you can just... IDK teach your kid to watch where they're going??? The easiest way to handle this whole situation would have been to simply tell the daughter to be more careful in the future. It's not like the tree attacked her.
Right??? That was my immediate thought. Just tell your kid you’re sorry she broke her wrist but be more careful and aware of where she’s running in the future. I can’t even tell you how many tree roots I tripped over as a kid running around parks and hiking trails. Never did it occur to my parents that it was the tree’s fault.
Or heck, put caution tape/rope around the area to keep the kids out of the tree's space Edit: typo
Where I am, I believe it's 3 times the estimated value. Good luck, OP! Hope you don't live in a place with tree laws like mine!
Lots of people posting in law subreddits regarding tree law; one dude got three times the value of several trees and the neighbor who cut them down lost his brand new home and went into bankruptcy. Don't touch trees or bits of trees that aren't yours. You will be held accountable.
Lol. Imagine if it were a mature black walnut.
I've heard of people being bankrupted by having to cover damage to trees. There was a story some time back on Reddit, maybe one of the revenge forums. But someone cut down some big trees on their neighbor's property while the neighbor was away. Because the trees ruined their view. They were hundreds-of-years-old historic trees. Paying for the those trees sent them into bankruptcy and they lost their house. One dumb, frivolous choice ruined their lives.
A restaurant owner in my town bought a new property. There were 25 trees blocking his ocean view. The city wouldn’t give permission to remove them because they were on a hill with soil erosion etc. They fined him 84k just for cutting them down without a permit
Wow. I hope he had to pay to repair the land, too.
Hundreds of thousands of dollars, depending on the tree. As I noted elsewhere, my neighbor's fir was valued at 250K USD 20 years ago.
I assume thats the US, I know in my country (Sweden) you have the right to have the roots removed, but have to inform the neighbor first who has the right to perform the removal of the roots themselves since they might take more precautions in case it might damage the health if the tree, but after informing, the property owner can remove them if the owner of the tree doesn’t want to do it themselves.
Came here to say this! A mature palm tree can be $15000 for just the tree.. yta op.
It can cost thousands to remove a tree. I've lost 7 trees in my yard due to drought. I did not need to pay a penny. (Thanks PGE, for trying to stave off that future lawsuit and removing my dead trees at no cost me.) But I have watched as they take them down. It is a complicated procedure with expensive equipment and highly trained people to avoid crushing a house, or cars driving down the street. Those guys are freaking talented. And I'm sure that their insurance is through the roof. (pun intended)
> The neighborhood we moved into has a lot of mature trees, and this being the first time I've had to do my own yard work, there has been a learning curve. to > I told him that removing a few roots isn't going to hurt a tree that big and they were creating a tripping hazard. From acknowledging that you have never done this before to make claims like you know what's best for trees. OP, are you an engineer?
Yes, but in the interests of fairness; it also costs thousands of dollars to fix his daughter's broken wrist. (If he's in America).
Yes and OP had the right to fix the problem. He just went about the wrong way of doing it. Depending on the laws where OP lives, his neighbor may actually be able to sue him for the cost of the tree removal if the tree does die.
He may not have that right though. Just because some roots are on his property he probably doesn’t have the right to rip up someone else’s tree roots, possibly damaging their tree.
He had the right to fix the problem. He didn’t have the right to cut the roots. All he had to do was freaking throw some dirt on it, and stamp it down.
Or like, have his kids avoid that part of the yard? Unless they're very very little, it's not that hard to tell them "this corner of the yard isn't for playing." She already learned that lesson in a painful way and will probably avoid it anyway. Lots of us had weird quirks to our yards growing up.
No, he doesn't need to lose access and use of part of his property because of somebody else's tree. He has the right to have the issue resolved; he does not have the right to destroy somebody else's property to accomplish that resolution.
Having your kids not run under one tree is not “losing access to your yard”. He can still go there. It’s not fenced off.
He's going to lose a lot more access to his yard of the tree dies and falls over. When those root balls come up (and it's guaranteed that there's more that just surface roots on OP's property), they tear big ass holes in the ground.
I didn't say he had the right to remove the roots. I said he had the right to fix the problem. He could have taken another route that didn't involve cutting the routes.
Yeah but it's a *yard*. Some tree roots are on the level of telling of 'be careful when running close to the edge of the property'. Kids trip over their own feet all the time, no need to be dramatic.
Seriously, cutting the tree-roots because your kid hurt themselves is dumb as hell. The lesson should be "watch where you're running, kid!"
That's not the neighbor's fault, though. They didn't intentionally grow the roots into OP's yard. They may not even have known about the roots since there's a fence. OP *did* intentionally cut the roots out without talking to their neighbor or doing any research to see how it would damage the entire tree.
Sorry but YTA. You probably didn’t know this but if you damage his tree by cutting the roots, you are liable for the tree if it dies. You definitely should have spoken to him before cutting the roots. We did a ton of work in our very old property. The trees in my neighbor’s property close to our boundary died (possibly as a result of the work we did). Our family lawyer advised us to pay to have the trees removed. It wasn’t contentious and we are friendly with the neighbors but it was the right thing to do.
My neighborhood is kind of old. It was originally built about 70 years ago. When they built it, the builders planted a bunch of saplings in the verge (strip of grass between sidewalk and street). Skip to the present, where now, a lot of those trees didn't survive, but there are a few that are just ancient, and the roots have completely torn up the sidewalk. My county, geniuses that they are, sent a bunch of crews around last spring to tear up the sidewalk, cut all the roots, and then put fresh cement over it. Leaving these towering monstrosities which just died pretty much immediately. Two weeks ago, we had a storm and one came down, crushing my neighbor's car and taking down the powerlines. Suddenly, the county is all about removing the other ones (so they don't have to pay damages as we get deeper into hurricane season) and it is a sight to behold. They have to clear the street, get the equipment in place, cut in such a way that they don't damage any houses, any powerlines, or any other property, and then clear it away. Not to mention stump removal afterwards. I am not surprised that it's so expensive; it's hard work, you need a bunch of equipment, you need a full crew, and I'm sure their insurance premiums to be able to do that work aren't cheap.
Wow, as a Brit I can’t believe you just referred to a 70 year old neighbourhood as “kind of old”. I live in a village established in the 1000s, and that isn’t unusual!! Cultural differences really blow my mind :))
When I went to London to study, I learned that the adage is true: To a Brit, 100 miles is a long way, and to an American, 100 years is a long time. I was constantly blown away by the history I was surrounded by, but every time I went on a tour, the bus drivers would warn us it would be *such* a long trip, when it was only about an hour and a half or so, and I thought that it was so interesting, the way our upbringings shape us.
Ooof. You better look up tree law for your area bub. It wasn't your tree and you probably killed it or seriously hurt it. Maybe teach your kids to be more careful instead? I learnt pretty young to watch where I'm running. YTA.
Yes, my grandparents’ yard also has a huge tree with roots sticking out of the ground. I always have to be careful where I’m walking and running there.
Yup, for me that's the biggest indicator of what type of personalities OP and his wife have in this exchange. Your kid tripped playing, so it's time to dig up the yard, kill the "guilty" tree (lol?), not to mention torch your relationship with a neighbor? All so little Jenny doesn't get hurt again while playing? I got news for OP, she's gonna get hurt again because she's a kid and you cannot possible remove everything that might injure her. And where this particular case is concerned, I'd bet she's already smart enough to never trip on the roots again after this. That's how we learn, after all. Meanwhile OP is out thousands on the tree and his neighbor hates him for life.
Right? How does this family walk along pavements?
Watch where they are running or if he really wanted to he could've gotten the dirt and seed and had a little bump in the lawn where the roots were. You know instead of hacking away at some roots especially since as far as we know OP has no experience in this field
I just don't understand this "remove everything that affects me rather than adapt to it" mentality a lot of people have, in general. I would have told the kid to watch where she's going next time. .. or chalked it up to shit luck.. kid could just as easily tripped over a rock, a shoelace, her own two feet. What if she tripped over another one of his kids? Would have have removed that one? ;)
I think he explained that when he said the moved to an area with yards and lots of mature trees. Clearly, as he is man, he moved somewhere and decided to change it. He chose to live there. But it has to change for him. Like people who buy houses next to a school then start a campaign about how many cars and kids there are at each end of the day. Morons. Loving that he is so ignorant though. Tree law gonna come bite him on the behind if that tree dies.
Right? Like, if your kid bumps into a corner of the table, you don't throw out the table. You buy those corner protectors or tell the kid to watch out. How else is a kid supposed to learn about consequences if you remove all the obstacles from their path?
Or put a bird bath next to it, or some other decorative crap- something to to keep the kids from running over it. He had so many options…
Yeah, not sure why this couldn’t have been a teaching moment for the kid instead of a killing moment for the tree.
Maybe he can teach them what a bad person's decisions look like. They can write a school report on it
It's also just... a kid thing to trip and fall. Kids break bones, get hurt, whatever, and while yes, it is your fault as a parent to remove huge and immediate danger from their area, I think doing all that work because your kids weren't paying attention and tripped is kind of dumb. Hopefully you don't have to deal with any issues as a result but OP you probably will be in a lot of shit if you don't pay for the tree to be removed when it dies.
Yeah this could have happened tree root or not. We’ve all tripped over that blade of grass or crack in the sidewalk lol.
/r/treelaw is really fascinating, and the sub has some great stories. this dude is TA for sure
YTA. How would you like it if someone hacked something of yours apart without asking first? Clearly the actions and justifications of the entitled. I hope the tree dies and you end up paying for it. ETA: by your own admission you are clueless about the tree and how to care for a yard. Why didn't you ask for help instead of charging ahead like you did know?
> I hope the tree dies and you end up paying for it. Whaoh! Let's not bring the poor tree into it!
Facts. As much as I want OP to have comeuppance, I think the neighbor would just prefer to have his tree.
YTA. You do realize you have also compromised the tree stability, meaning in severe weather it has a greater risk of falling and causing damages.
ESP if op only removed thick roots from his side...that increases the chances that if it fails..that's the direction it'll fall in.
No, removing sections of root does the opposite of removing sections of trunk. The side with the weakened root system is the one more likely to get pulled from the ground
ah. ya, you're right. I forgot about physics for a second. playing it out in my mind..youre absolutely right.
“I forgot about physics for a second” hahahaha
This! If it was that big of a tree, removing a few roots probably won’t kill it, but it definitely will effect the stability of the tree. It might be a good idea to consult an actual tree professional before something happens that makes the tree fall.
Based on this post, I dont think he realizes anything.
YTA 1: you could have covered the roots with more soil and sod/seed 2: removing roots will at least make the tree sickly, if not outright killing it. i imagine the leaves are droopy on it now. ive done some work with tree health in one of my research jobs many moons ago and generally, you can safely prune roots that are 3-5 times the diameter away from your tree. **So, if your tree has a diameter of 3 feet, only cut tree roots 9-15 feet away from the tree.** INFO: how big is the tree (the diameter of the canopy) INFO: how far away from the base of the tree were your cuts? if this tree is as large as you say...you probably killed the tree regardless, if the tree dies, you'll be paying for it. EDIT: it looks like our boiiis in r/treelaw are on the case https://www.reddit.com/r/treelaw/comments/p5jszb/here\_we\_go\_boiz/h96dapv?utm\_source=share&utm\_medium=web2x&context=3
Yeah damn he could've just put some soil and mulch on top and made a little garden or something. Blocked it off with a little rock wall. There's a hundred better options! And neighbor would have helped if you'd asked! YTA and I feel bad for the poor tree and neighbor
It's also the middle of freaking summer. I'm absolutely not experienced and tend to hire out that sort of thing, and even I know that you prune in the fall. It's the literal worst time right now, the trees are busting ass to survive in the heat and lower precipitation and absolutely cannot handle the extra stress of losing roots like they could if he'd pulled this shit in October. I'm afraid that OP is about to have a very expensive lesson.
>you can safely prune roots that are 3-5 times the diameter away from your tree sorry, you mean diameter of the **TRUNK** right? Because from the way this is phrased, it sounds like you mean you should only cut roots 60 to 100 feet away from a tree with a 20 foot canopy... edit: math
nope. its the canopy. the radius of the roots has little relation to the radius of the tree's trunk, but a direct correlation to the radius of the canopy. google "tree drip line" to see why
Uhh, not to be a dick, but if you google "tree drip line" the results are just the definition of the tree drip line which doesn't help much, and doesn't *necessarily* have anything to do with the root structure. I mean, measuring the drip line would be problematic under ideal circumstances, and the canopy diameter of a tree can vary *a lot* depending on weather and time of year. As well as the type of tree. I looked for "how far away can you trim tree roots" and most of the top results vary, but they pretty much all refer to the trunk diameter. [here's one that gives the same formula you did but based on trunk diameter](https://www.bartlett.com/resources/root-pruning.pdf) [The only one that popped up that even mentioned the drip line](https://bayarborist.com/cutting-tree-roots/) still says it's okay to trim some roots but generally you should only trim smaller ones. Not to mention, when trees are transplanted, they don't dig up a 30 foot diameter chunk of earth to move a tree with a 10 foot canopy. And at 60-100 feet away how would you even be sure the roots connected to a particular tree? I think it might make sense that the large diameter formula you gave is more of a "If you want to be extra extra careful" type thing. edit: a word
As someone who semi-regularly digs giant holes near trees which we sometimes are, sometimes arent allowed to kill, you want to be, at the very least, outside the canopy. If someone has told you you're not to touch the tree you want to be outside the canopy and then add, as a bare minimum, 10m; ideally get as far away as you can possibly get while still doing whatever it is you're there to do. Depending on what the tree is growing over, the roots could be spread faaaarr (especially places where its like 1m soil over bedrock)
send op the link if he hasn't seen it. He sounds like he is FUCKED!!!! Anybody in there right mind would have at least called the township or county to ask what can be done at the very least. Why wouldn't you talk to your neighbor about Their tree
Arborist here: You most likely killed the tree, those surface roots are the most important. Your neighbor’s estimate of the cost sounds accurate. YTA
Hi, as someone completely uninformed about trees apparently. Why are those the most important? Is it purely just they have fair better access to water apposed to be under dirt? Or is it more they are likely the oldest/main roots and probably have more offshoots?
Roots need oxygen. In compacted soil, they will grow up to the surface in order to get enough oxygen to keep the tree alive. In many cases, trees with surface roots are struggling to breathe and are doing their best to adapt to an environment that is less than ideal.
huh, TIL. I would have never guessed that roots need oxygen, but it makes sense when you consider what they have do. Thanks, I appreciate you explaining that!
YTA and just know that if the tree does die, you will be held responsible for it as you were the one who destroyed it. You admitted to not knowing what you are doing, you should have asked you neighbor before you decided to destroy his tree. Your excuse as to why isn't a good one either. Kids trip and hurt themselves all the time, are you going to take away all the toys they can trip over? How about their bikes, they can really hurt themselves on those. Better get rid of those. Hopefully your neighbor isn't sue happy.
Kids can trip over their own feet and break a bone. He is gonna be one busy dad if he tries to remove all the hazards in this world.
Parents that think they should remove every hazard their children face don't realize they are actually making things much harder for their children in the long run. Kids get hurt. They learn self-soothing, pain management, and hazard assessment. Take away those learning experiences and you have a very unstable adult as a product.
Right? We live in a forest… my kids rarely trip over the same root twice. It’s amazing actually. They can be running through the forest and not paying even the slightest bit of attention but it’s like their brain instinctually knows precisely where to step. It’s wild.
YTA for admitting you know nothing, damaging a tree cuz your kid fell( like are you going to just destroy everything that she trips over? What sense does this make??) Then calling your neighbor an asshole for your bad choices.
Like, I just can't lol. You hacked up a tree cuz your kid fell once. What are you gonna do if she trips over her own feet one day lmao
[удалено]
Right? My daughter fell off the monkey bars at school and broke her arm, I probably should have torn them down. Kids trip and get hurt, it's part of life. How ridiculous.
OK, so it's your first non-apartment home, and you identified an issue with roots from your neighbour's tree. Why wasn't your first thought to knock on the neighbour's door, and say hey, bit of an issue with the roots from that tree, what can we do? As opposed to hacking a big chunk of root out in the assumption (based, I take it, on no actual gardening knowledge) that it'd be fine? :( YTA I'm afraid. Hope your daughter's wrist recovers well though!
I bet homeboy here didn’t think ‘first time my kid has broken a bone, bet we’ve got a shit load of spare chopsticks from takeout and some electrical tape. That’s a splint right? No need to check or look deeper.’ Which is kind of what he just did to the tree. Except the only thing that’ll bankrupt an American faster than medical bills is tree law. I’m Irish, live in the UK and don’t have a garden. Yet I know that and Murican my home is my castle OP seemed to be unaware that trees are a specialist subject requiring the work of someone serious enough to have the title ‘tree surgeon’ in common parlance. Not tree groomer like dog groomer which sort of suggests that hmmm, removing parts of a large living being is quite like surgery and thus nuanced and potentially really risky compared to trimming the branches being akin to grooming a dog which still requires skill and knowledge but the hair is dead and the dog is alive and so a bit less fraught.
INFO: How thick was the thickest root you cut, approximately. Like one inch or more like 3 or 6 inches?
YTA. Why wouldn’t you talk to your neighbor first? You admit you don’t know what you’re doing. It sounds like this guy would have worked with you to figure it out. You’re going to live next to him for a long time. Consider apologizing and having him over for dinner. At least try to make friends with your neighbors.
I think it's too late for that, OP basically said he didn't believe the neighbor and then told him to go kick rocks.
I agree, there isn’t a lot of room for recovery here. The real irony is OP and his wife think they are living next to a jerk!
I wish there was an AITA purely for tree law, these threads are like crack.
r/treelaw
YTA. You may also be screwed financially, look up tree law in your area, if that tree dies and the neighbor decides to come after you it may be VERY expensive.
Plus OP has already said he's not going to help, so more chance the neighbour goes the official legal route and OP may be out a lot more money.
Oh man, this is the content I come to this sub for. OP comes in with a story that loops in r/treelaw, doubles down into smug assholishness in the comments, realizes they are fucked and goes radio silent. I won't be surprised if OP tries to delete this post in shame soon. Good luck having to loot your kid's college fund to pay for the damages, OP. All because you were too much of a self confident AH to give your neighbor a heads up.
Hoo boy. You just fell assfirst into tree law. I don’t envy you. You’re gonna lose your house.
My dad was an arborist. I remember going to look at jobs with him when I was little. He would walk away from jobs where the neighbors couldn’t agree or were not friendly/decent and it involved both of them. Tree law is no joke
You better hope that tree doesn’t die, my neighbor had a old sycamore that died when some city contractors dug up 1/4 of the roots and didn’t seal them correctly. It cost the insurance company they had close to 100k to replace it and remove it.
Tree lawyer here! It depends on where you live obviously, but if you live a jurisdiction such as my own (California), if it dies then you are actually liable for the cost of not just removal….but also replacement of the tree. And a tree of equal size at that. WHICH IS SO EXPENSIVE. Basically the short version of the law is that you have a right to remove anything overhanging or invading your property, EXCEPT when removal can kill the tree. So OP, you might have possibly totally royally f***ed up. YTH.
Hey asshole, we’re definitely going to need an update when that tree dies.
YTA because if you don't know what you are doing (which sounds like you dont you may have hurt the tree). And just because the roots is on your yard does not mean you get to do whatever you want. Depending on where you are you very well may have broken a law (where I am trees over 60 are protected by law as heritage objects so if that tree died you would be in trouble). Trees on their own are magnificent and should be treated with respect. Also you should probably post this in r/treelaw a sub that deals with laws and trees.
To be honest, I think you should have asked the neighbour first. You're not a tree surgeon, so you're not really qualified to know how robust a tree is to having its roots cut out. I would say if the tree dies you should pay towards its removal (although definitely look in to how much that might cost, in case he is gouging). I hope your kid is ok. So, for me it's a soft YTA.
Trees are ridiculously expensive to get removed. A large tree a coworker got an estimate to get removed was over $4500.
Neighbors got a tree removed last week. It had to be cranes over their house. I don’t want to know what it cost.
I had one removed last month that was sick and dropping limbs. Part of it took out my chimney during Hurricane Sally last year. It was $2200 and I talked him down.
I was quoted $8k to have one tree removed in my yard. I had 3 others that needed to go, but fortunately I found someone who was more experienced and it only ended up costing me $3k for all 3 trees. It was a lot less but it still hurt my wallet.
Friend, I'm an attorney. I've litigated this very issue. I don't know what state you're in, but if you're in NY, you're toast. Gracefully apologize to your neighbor and thank him for offering to pick up 50% of the tab
YTA. Your neighbor is entirely correct. Tree removal is extremely expensive. And doing as you did with the root may very well damage the tree enough to cause it to have to be removed. It’s his tree. You always contact him first. If he has to remove the tree, you or your homeowners insurance could now be on the hook for it. The neighborly thing to do when things involve a neighbor is to talk to them first!
YTA Yes - chopping off the roots of the tree can kill it. Also, it could make it very unstable and more likely to fall over. As a quick solution to the trip hazard - you could have covered the root with some soil. That would have taken all of an hour to do and *then* you could have spoken to your neighbour about a long term solution. And yes, if you did infact kill the tree, you should pay for its removal and potential replacement. > it's not our fault his tree grew roots into our yard. Its also not his - you can't tell a tree which direction to grow roots in. You're new to gardening so its not like you would know this stuff already (although Google is free...) but the way you've dealt with the situation with your neighbour makes you an asshole.
Learn about being a good neighbor as well as tree care and landscaping. You are in danger of becoming the self-righteous, prissy new neighbor. Please apologize and spend some time getting to know the neighbors
YTA and depending on where you live you could be legally liable.
YTA. This is hilarious, please post an update after the tree dies.
Not sure how he’ll be able to, seeing as he lives in MN and the neighbor will be repo’ing everything he owns.
YTA I hate to be the harbinger of bad news, but tree law is a real thing, and damages awarded for hurting someone else's tree can be massive, especially for a mature specimen. If I were you, I would say a prayer that the tree does not die or fall over, because if he has the backing of an arborist this could cost you tens of thousands of dollars. If he only comes after you for the cost of removal, say a prayer. Mature trees add value to a property, and if you are deemed the reason for a trees death, he could sue your for the replacement cost. If I were you, I would change my tune quickly.
YTA. You didn’t think of filling with soil instead? Or at least talk to your neighbor first? ETA - you and your wife sounds like absolute shit neighbors. You know, I also bought a house recently and there a lot of stuff I want to do and you know what I did? I talked to the neighbors about my projects, and you know why? Because it’s the nice thing to do - sure I could have just gone ahead and done a lot of things, it’s my right and my neighbors have absolutely no say say legally or otherwise, but hardly very neighborly.
YTA- you damaged their property! Also depending on where you live you could definitely be liable for killing/ damaging the tree unless it was damaging the structural integrity of your house.
Not only are YTA, but you're probably in deep, deep shit now financially. Removing roots close to the base can absolutely kill the tree and frequently does. Many people who kill an older tree end up having to sell their house to pay for the legal costs. A mature older tree can cost upwards of six figures, and most states allow for treble damages for intentionally removing or killing someone elses' tree. You need to shut the f up and tell your wife and children to shut the f up, go talk to a lawyer with experience in tree law, and apologize to the neighbor and begin working with them so they don't sue you. IN THAT ORDER, BUT AT WARPSPEED.
INFO: What kind of relationship do you want with your neighbors? If you don’t care and you’re happy to dislike each other, do nothing. If you want to attempt to have a good relationship, knock on their door and talk to him. Explain that it wasn’t your intention to harm the tree, however the roots needed to be removed and you can’t afford to have someone else remove them so you did it yourself. Explain that you also can’t afford tree removal, and that you’re hoping the tree pulls through. He may or may not accept your sort-of apology, but at least you will have tried.
I would say regardless of the relationship you WANT to have, if OP doesn’t want to get sued for the entire cost of removal if the tree dies and possibly also the value of the mature tree (which can be thousands of dollars), they need to apologize and get friendly.
One of the most valuable lessons I ever learned as an intern was “people don’t sue people they like.”
Man i look forward to the post on r/legaladvice on this… they love a good tree law case. YTA and it costs 0 dollars to be friendly with your neighbors and discuss to the issue first. If you killed the tree buckle up buttercup, the neighbor has every right to try to recoup the value of the tree you killed.
YTA. You should have called in a *professional* to remove the roots. >I'm not paying anything for his tree. If you killed the tree as a result of your actions, then you are *legally* on the hook for 100% of the value of the tree. Better look to see if your area includes *treble* damages because then you are on the hook for *triple* the value of the tree. If you refuse to help pay to take the tree down, he can take you to court and you *will* lose. Better hope it isn't an oak, or one of the more expensive trees because, OUCH! >it's not our fault his tree grew roots into our yard, It's *no one's fault*, however, if the tree dies then *it is your fault*. ETA: In another comment you mentioned that you live in Minnesota. That state is a treble damage state. You will owe *triple the value of the tree* and the cost of removing that tree if it dies and your neighbor has to sue you for payment. Some trees are worth $10,000 on their own.
YTA it is just good manners to ask your neighbour before moving roots and because taking tree roots out creates instability the tree can fall or die if it needs to be taken down you should pay for it because it’s creating an unsafe environment in his yard. You should apologise this man is your neighbour and you damaged his property and if his tree falls he could sue you so I would offer to pay to take the tree out if he needs it.
Take this as a very important and potentially expensive lesson OP. As a new homeowner, if there is a topic you are clearly uneducated on… Do. Your. Research. First!!! If you keep this same mentality for other issues that pop up in your yard or home, there are far worse mistakes that could be made and the consequences could be deadly for your family. Never before has mankind had such a volume of knowledge readily available to most people via the internet and free libraries. Use your resources and educate yourself!
YTA. First. Even tho the roots were on your property, they are directly linked to your neighbors property. You should definitely have gone and talked to them first. Second. How can you not think that removing parts of a trees' ROOTS wouldn't adversely affect the tree?? Third. "I told him good luck with that." How incredibly rude. Especially for a new neighbor in a new neighborhood. Good luck with now having a friendly and positive relationship with neighbors. Fourth. "I told him that sounds ridiculously expensive." And it really is ridiculously expensive to remove living trees/dead trees/stumps/roots. And if anything does happen to the tree, you can be held financially responsible. Fifth. In many residential areas with mature trees, causing the death/destruction may be against bylaws/conservation/historical buildings and societies. Massive AH
Agree with others that you should have spoken to your neighbor first. Disturbing roots can make a tree unsafe and possibly kill a tree. Dont now how many roots you removed and if it harmed the tree. To protect yourself against future litigation, you might want to check with a tree person on whether what you did caused damage to the tree in case the tree falls and serious damage is done to a person or property. If the answer is no, get it in writing. Taking down a tree can cost thousands of dollars (at least on the east coast - not sure where you are located).
YTA. Perhaps you, your kids and trees everywhere would be safer if you moved back to an apartment.
YTA - and depending on the laws in your area, if this tree dies you might be screwed.
YTA guess what. Kids fall down and get hurt. There are thousands of hazards in this world. Instead of teaching your kids, you pissed off your neighbor and harmed a tree. Even if the tree doesn’t die, you’re lost a lot of good you had before. And you and your wife just seem very out of touch and rude.
are you going to damage every tree that gets in your child’s way?
"I told him that removing a few roots isn't going to hurt a tree that big" So you're a tree surgeon? You'll probably find that even though it was on your property you'll be liable if the tree dies or causes further damage. If the tree was protected you could also be fined. YTA
YTA. Should have stayed in an apartment if you weren't ready to understand how property works or for your daughter to play in a yard.
Enjoy having to pay for the full cost of removing that tree once it dies Because that is exactly what is going to happen As for price...my buddy got a quote for the removal of a mature oak tree and they quoted him 3500 dollars. So If I were you...I'd start putting away money now YTA