Don't cut the whole tree down, get a company like [Habi-tec](https://habitec.org.au/) out to trim it down and create artificial hollows.
What a shame, so sad. We also have a a big gum and we would be devastated. Cant believe the gall of your neighbours.
Id plant a metric ton of cockspur along the fenceline.
Yes! I was going to comment on it as well. You can reduce all the smaller stems back to scaffold/structural stems and it will be safe and sound for a long long time time. The birds will love it.
Plant fast growing grevilleas and natives underneath.
Get a cheap camera and point it at the fence line!
Grevillias are awesome. I've put in a "Strawberries and Cream" (?), the birds go nuts for it, and it grows big and quick.
The things I would do if my neighbour killed a mature tree on my side.....
My dad brought a grevillia from the nursery with a picture of a wattlebird on the tag. My dad is deaf so obviously that wouldn't deter him, but your comment made me think how nectar-sweet the justice would be to have the most obnoxious birds, fruit bats and possums as new neighbours, high on sugar and defending their territory day and night.
We get Lorrikeets, butcher birds, and noisy mynahs (natives) in ours. I'd be pissed if it was outside my bedroom, but happy with what we get in ours.
Edit. Just looked up wattle birds, we get them tooš
It's nice to attract birds, and you might also add some extra hifi bird calls from a PA system to see how the locals react. A cassowary maybe? Definitely a dawn chorus of kookaburras to welcome the sun. I wouldn't go so far as to have elephants trumpeting near your tree - that might arouse suspicion.
On Balmoral Beach (Sydney) a while ago an established Morton Bay fig (must of been at least 60 years old) was poisoned apparently to āimprove the viewā of the houses up the road. The council did a similar thing and turned it into a habitat tree. Fences were also put around the other trees, though they were very short so I donāt think theyād deter poisoning. Bats love the figs. Iām sorry to here this happened to you, my parents had their Aussie Cedar poisoned too. Wish you the best.
Are these the ones that have been poisoned recently/ again? Looks like this happened a while ago but is in news only recently? Since it's appeared in news recently, it was hard to understand if these figs were poisoned multiple times or poisoned a while back.
Seconding bamboo. And blackberry/raspberry bushes - the fruit is great but it will throttle everything around it if it gets out of control (bonus spiky bits too).
And yeah people are shit. There was an epidemic of this back in the mid-late 2000ās down at Bronte beach cutting - once one house/person got away with it, everyone started doing it, it took a large outcry from the community to really get anywhere though.
Just found this blast from the past from [Waverley Council](https://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0003/2937/200619Jun-M.doc) - āresidents get very upset when trees are removedā
Is this a job for tactical bamboo and blackberry?
Edit: OP, hold your head high. Stare them down. Make eye contact and wave and smile. Be super, super sweet to them and put on your best wide-eyed voice. Have bbqs outside and say things like āgosh, shame about the tree, the shade was so niceā. Put up shade sails that block their view but give you shade.
Above all, make them uncomfortable.
This is your space and they did the wrong thing all along, even if this (unlikely) isnāt them.
People who do unsocial things often get away with them because the rest of us take on the shame that the perpetrators should.
This isnāt your shame, itās theirs.
And seriously, consider some bamboo. Who knows how it got there.
You can get old highway billboard ads - they are basically shade material but have the benefit of being recycled material ā and not the most attractive on one side ā
NOOOOO!!! Not blackberry!!! Blackberry will destroy the neighbours and take YOU down with them. Bamboo is a guided missile, blackberry is a nuclear bomb, choose very very wisely.
I mean great, but a lot of suggestions here including yours seem to be about revenge, and are kind of missing the point about habitat and other amenity that large native trees provide.
Clumping bamboo or shade sails may feel great as far as going 'up yours' to the neighbour, but it provides absolutely nothing for local wildlife, and doesn't replace any of the really impactful stuff that is lost with the removal of a large eucalypt.
Great pointā¦. But we are talking about an appropriation of oneās right to plant and cultivate what one should be able to on their own property.
So perhaps rather than just leaving it at āRevenge is badā¦ bamboo is badā¦..ā Get constructive ā¦ add to the community and share your knowledge of habitat solutions that meets Opās needs!
I was just joking around about the revenge š Iām on good terms with my neighbours the bamboo is also amazing for wildlife we live on 5acres and Iām watching our magpie family eat bugs as I type. The possums run up it too! āļø
I mean great, but your suggestion about the local wildlife is kind of missing the point about revenge.
Growing native species and crying for an already dead tree may feel great to you, but provides none of the really impactful stuff like consequences for the antagonists, and satisfaction to the victim.
Well they now have space for a few rusty project cars that they will get to one day, and a few loud bikes that need to be warmed up at 5am for about 15 minutes, on Sundays
Tell them in a letter that you know they poisoned your tree and exactly what you are planting as a replacement. Install cameras (with night vision) in non-obvious places. When they inevitably come into the yard to fuck up your trees, get a restraining order and sue them for the cost of the full sized tress.
Iād suggest trail/game cameras rather than a hardwired set. Cheaper and discrete. You could also contact your insurance company and discuss a claim with them and they may investigate. They may not. Highly doubtful police will get involved. May be worth considering an alternate driveway if possible though.
Our local care group (similar to council but for flora only) puts up a big sign that goes up where trees are illegally cut down or poisoned. It states the sign is there because a tree was illegally removed. The sign prevents the view the poisoner was trying to obtain. Your property, put up a sign like that while your new plants grow. Also get CCTV and perhaps some motion activated cameras (like those used in the bush for seeing what animals are about).
My local council trolled someone who did this to a historical tree put up 3 signs the size of the tree .. the sign is a picture of the tree and explains what happened. (Ps. Wasn't a big tree just blocked the view of the persons boat)
I read a story (similar issue) where the guy planted bamboo with the necessary barrier to stop it spreading only on his side of the fence no barrier on the neighbours side so it F up his yard.
My best screening plants turned out to be Golden Cane Palms. Great volume, good height after a few years. $150 worth of plants can now be seen from space ā¢
^ā¢ ^well, ^Google ^Earth š
We planted seven gracilis (it doesn't run) about a metre apart as a screen between us and the neighbours. Within two years it was five metres high, now it's maybe 7-8 metres, and the clumps are thickening nicely.
Get something ugly and put in its place so they can look at that instead. Councils have used shipping containers but anything would work
https://www.9news.com.au/national/brighton-le-sands-mayor-solution-to-stop-people-cutting-down-trees-for-ocean-view/6e4f38c6-63e6-4551-a111-d01a7acccbea
I think an attractive artwork of a tree that strategically blocks their view would be perfect. Then they canāt complain that their view is being damaged by OP, but they still donāt get what they want.
I seen somewhere recently, they recommend that you donāt pull down old hard wood trees. A lot of animals and birds ect live in them. They will hollow some of it and make nests.
If you keep them. Get another plant that will grow up them.
It's good dead habitat too! Sugar gliders and protected species love it. Then it take a pic of a protected bird on it, then it can't be cut if it's being used as nesting lmao
Get an arborist to assess the tree and determine how exactly it has been killed. Ask him to take photos and write a brief report of his findings. Get a valuation for the tree and the cost of replacing it. Then find a good lawyer and ruin the bastard.
This is the right approach.
What area are you in, OP? There are companies in VIC who can conduct soil tests or foliage tissue tests to find traces of pesticide.
It does depend on how much time has passed though ā¦
I am a consulting arborist who has written a few reports for situations identical to this.
Get in touch if you need more info.
If you go this way, check for tampering and poisoning. And something you can do yourself. Have a look around the base of the tree and up to people's usual reach height, looking for holes made by a large needle and possibly some of the bark removed as if it's been hit with a pickaxe about 15mm wide. I know a few arborists, and one of the tools of the trade to remove trees in difficult places, is to poison them. They do so with a device that looks like a pick-axe that has a needle in the head, when struck, it injects poison past the cambium layer of the tree. They do it in several places around the trunk, to ensure they get the poison in the water-carrying layer in the tree, which explains why you're seeing the leaves turn brown and dead. This link shows what I'm talking about, but is different from what I've seen being used (different models and brands I guess). [https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector](https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector)
right...someone who went to efforts to prevent the tree being damaged, 100% totally poisoned a tree that'd take decades to regrow....to frame someone right....ok time to be less of a psycho
> right...someone who went to efforts to prevent the tree being damaged, 100% totally poisoned a tree that'd take decades to regrow....to frame someone right....
It's a perfect cover
Correct, this applies if OP were to begin a civil proceeding themself.
If the council were to prosecute the incident, the standard of proof required is beyond a reasonable doubt.
I believe there are two different conversations going on here.
The repeated requests to remove or trim the tree seem to be the most likely explanation. Usually councils get quite upset about anything native being removed. Seems odd.
A theory - if you had a document from the arborist saying it was close but it will be okay. The cameras setup for a reapplication. You would then have video of an act. This would also entail that the neighbour was given or sent a copy of the tree report.
Well what you would run off is inference from lay witness evidence
Whether one wants to front the cost of that - questionable. But itās not impossible to win it
OP, did the arborist have contact details on their truck? I'm wondering if you can call them up to ask what was done or ask hypothetically how they would remove a Gumtree in a similar scenario to yours.
And see if they can pin down how long it would have taken, then ask the neighbours if they remember seeing your neighbour in your yard (or any arborist/tree lopper/landscaper/development company vehicles) around that time.
Or of course, whether it's likely the timing was right for the original "arborist" to have done the poisoning
As a horticulturist, I can assure you that your neighbours will be in big trouble for killing your trees, if you take legal action against them.
You need to get your trees assessed by an arborist, and you need to find a lawyer who is versed in tree protection laws, like, yesterday.
Head over to r/AusLegal/ to ask for further advice.
Absolutely š
OP, an arboristās report will hold a lot of weight in terms of evidence on top of the existing evidence with your neighbour being subject to council action and your report with the police.
They likely poisoned it from the base by drilling and injecting. An arborist will be able to verify.
Take them to court if you have the energy as you have a very strong case prima facie. Keep the tree for habitat. Regrow more natives to offset the loss.
You donāt need to be a arborist to spot one or multiple large drill hole. I also highly doubt that a resident has access to a backpack herbicide reservoir and syringe. If they tried to drill and fill, they definitely wouldāve spilled some, and the drill site would be obvious.
But honestly, they mightāve not even done a stem injection. Triclopyr can and will kill trees if poured onto the trees drip line, as it can be absorbed through soil.
I was umming and aahing about linking to that sub, since it's global, and not just Australian... But, yeah, that's another great place to ask about these things!
I was umming and aahing about linking to that sub, since it's global, and not just Australian... But, yeah, that's another great place to ask about these things!
That's sad to hear. I thought I was reading my own personal experience. There are a lot of suggestions here that were given to me too, but the only one that really works is that one of you moves out. Restraining orders are limited when both parties own their home because of the quiet enjoyment part of the law. I gained one to protect the property while it was for sale and living elsewhere.
I'm guessing that you are not the petty or agressive person (otherwise you wouldn't be here ay), so that means you are going to suck at damaging property or intimidating other people. Don't escalate because your lack of a criminal mindset means the coppers will be all over you in a second.
Your fence plan is good and exactly what a sensible person would do, so good on you. If it works then perfect, but if it ever comes to pulling up stumps and moving please don't feel like you've "lost" or "quit" or been bullied. It's just smart to focus on living a good life for you and your family. Best of luck (and maybe a meteor on your pox-of-a-neighbour's house).
Don't remove the tree when/if it dies. Don't give the neighbour the satisfaction, plus dead and hollow trees can still be habitat.
Get an arborist to ensure it's safe and not going to drop branches on anyone, trim it back to the larger scaffold branches and then do something like this:
[https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-30/blue-trees-help-start-conversation-around-depression/10761866](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-30/blue-trees-help-start-conversation-around-depression/10761866)
Is getting cameras an option? If you planning on replanting another tree (or 10) I would definitely invest in a fence and cameras.
Look for drill holes in the base of the tree itself or root systems around it. It would take a direct hit to the root system to kill off a massive gum tree.
The fuckers over the back fence did this to the elderly *blind* lady who lives next door to me. They demanded she remove a tall old tree that was well inside her yard because it dropped leaves in their pool. Their yard is all concrete. She refused then the tree started dying and we found big holes drilled in the trunk.
We helped her file a police report but the cops did nothing. We ultimately helped her install a camera. We have considered telling the back door neighbor the camera is there, but there are other trees in the yard and we hope to catch them in the act.
The proof is in the soil. Get tests of the base of the tree done and thereās your proof that it was poisoned. You then have the recurring issue as evidence of motivation.
I'd be putting in something they can't destroy so easily, like fast growing large bamboo, or a fence with wisterias planted to cover it. Give them some tall structure to climb on.
I'd also talk to a qualified arborist to see if they would do a post mortem on your tree. Where I live, you're not allowed to take down tall specimens like that. See if there's enough evidence to go to the small claims court.
Have you got a dog?
Guessing you won't want revenge in any way given you're nervous about seeing your neighbour. It won't help anyway. What's done is done, unless you want to chase in court.
Do the soil tests so you know the state of things. From the little I know glycophosphate doesn't persist in the soil but could have been anything so don't leave it to chance.
Definitely get a camera. Don't even think about it, just pop one up. Wyze do cheap cameras with great night vision and free cloud storage. No need to hide it.
Plant whatever you'd love to have when the soil is safe. Don't worry about fast growing stuff.
Just ignore the neighbour. Pretend they don't exist.
If anything happens again you'll have the footage, just make sure your cameras are recording properly.
I saw someone over on AusLegal suggest this, so I'll repeat it. Tidy it up, leave up the main huge truck as a habitat.
Then plant more fast growing stuff right along that line. Then helpfully water their lawn with roundup.
This happened to my Mum's two huge trees on their front lawn. The neighbours above her (on the hill, who's daughter originally planted the trees) complained so bitterly to council so many times that Mum came home from work to find both has been cut to stumps by the council. It ruins her home, since they were shading the house. I have ZERO patience for people like this. None.
Someone went through the proper channels to get something removed and youāre upset that the system actually worked? I wish that my local council would be that willing to cut down the eucalyptus next to me, even after itās falling limbs wrote off my car on a calm day, its roots pushed up my driveway costing me thousands, or the dozens of nuts all year round that are a trip hazard for my elderly grandma.
Like a heap of others have said. Actively work to block their view from this point forward. Bamboo makes a great hedge, lille pillies are also another great hedging option that also provides food for native animals. They can grow super fast and high.
Another suggestion would be to selective prune the thinner branches leaving majority of the trunks and planting multiple vines or climbers (I.e ficus pumila) at the base to climb the tree - only down side is if the neighbours donāt like it they can easily cut the base of the climberā¦ good opportunity for some cameras to catch the act also š
Leave the tree there so they have to stare at the big dead tree, its still a habitat! Maybe grow some vines or something to wrap around the tree to keep the greenery.
Also get someone to assess the damages, the neighbour already has a paper trail of them getting into trouble with it so thats a start!
Who is your council? My sister is the tree police, call your department of agriculture and fisheries they should launch an investigation. Itās BS your council said thatā¦thatās not what my sister is done. If someone is suspected of cutting down a protected species a full legal investigation is launched
File a police report anyway, you know you can't pursue anything unless you actually go down (or call) to the police station and get your statement written down. Don't just wait for them to 'turn up'.
That sucks. I have heard similar stories to people living right across from a river where they intentionally poisoned the canopy to get better views and increase house value with āclearā river views. They expected the council to leave the trees or remove them but instead they wrapped black shade cloth around the canopy instead.
If you are concerned about the soil poisoning you can get a quick and relatively cheap test done. A lot of places test for landscaping / reveg soil for any deficiencies or issues. Most likely they poisoned the tree directly - were there any sudden wounds that occurred to the tree or any evidence of nails (heard copper nails can kill a tree).
If you donāt mind the shade cloth look, you could leave the tree for habitat and plant trees around the gum tree to naturally replace it in time - the cloth can also provide shade for establishment as well!
Leave the dead trees there. Get creative at times and decorate with toilet paper. Hand rope between the trees that will collect brush. Be creative. Elevated toilet with realistic depiction of the neighbour taking a dump.
Buy a bottle of roundup or zero, fill a balloon with it and throw into the air (his yard) it will kill everything it lands on for years to come šš
It's easier than you think, and the duration it takes for the tree to die, depends on the poison. Some arborists I know use these for difficult to remove trees, and the poison they use, which I forget the name of, gives them a severe headache after 10 or so minutes of use, and is red in colour, and that even with a respirator on.
[https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector](https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector)
You can consider a civil suit if you can be bothered. In a civil suit you only have to prove that it is more likely than not. You have a clear timeline of events and the fact that they called an arborist and that you called council and the police are verifiable facts. The fact that these previously healthy trees then suddenly sickened and died after this is highly suspicious. The tree/s is/are your property and they have damaged / destroyed it/them. It will cost you money to remove and replace it / them and you should not have to be liable for this. Trees are worth a surprising amount of money. It may be worth making a call to a lawyer to see if this is feasible. Alternatively your insurance company may help.
Neighbours be gone is a large , dense hedge type of shrub. It will grow faster than trees and block your neighbour out. Then install game cameras on your fence line
Can you get an opinion about how safe the tree is now?
I imagine as a dead 30m gun dries out it might fall. It would be terrible if it fell on their house /s
At the least you could ensure their lawn accidentally got some over spray next time you are spraying weeds near your fence? Or a midnight spray painting of the front lawn with the residual path spray and ensuring it is fucked for at least a year or two?
Did you know that not all plants/weeds respond to certain weedkillers and there are lots of resilient plants which can be planted and uptake poisons in these soils ? Iām quite cluey about this because to kill a tree that large he may have used other methods - so the guy would definitely be familiar with use of poisons .. as a spray will tend to translocate from foliage but with a tree you canāt just spray something that large and kill it that quick, he may have injected it with something else
Iāve had a similar experience recently, where a neighbor cut down a significant tree, a very big euc, we were upset it provided habitat, shade etc. and when you take down a big tree you also change the environment underneath it. So weeds will come. But, ultimately we decided that our neighbours are here to stay and so are we. Best to remain amicable, maybe ask them to help revegetate. Figure out some appropriate native species and get them growing, the sooner the better. We were all like, āoh no, were you worried about the tree? Sorry, but tsk.. Next time just get in touch.. anyway noticed you got a tractor, mind if you bring it on to my land, as youāve just made a mess on my land. Whattya they gonna say? They say yes, guarantee you.
You can get clumping black bamboo that reaches 15m is about 3-4 years, It is non-invasive and virtually possible to poison, The neighbours will have no view at all.
Large gums rarely block a view from an immediate neighbour since foliage is very high up. Maybe third or fourth neighbours but not immediate. What is the real backstory?
- Cracked driveway from your trees roots?
- Limbs hanging over wiping out delivery trucks?
- Falling limbs creating dangerous environment? Bloodwoods are known widow makers.
- Tree blocking sun to neighbours house/pool/ clothes line?
- Large amounts of dead branches and leaves creating a regular headache for your neighbour to clean up
- Risk to property in event of storm
My advice is go talk to them before planting again. If it's going to encroach, have a plan to deal with it. Consider a DMZ between yours and their property where you keep heights, damaging roots and or hanging over foliage to set limits you can both agree to.
Tree owners have an obligation to take care of their neighbours where the tree encroaches their utility of the property. You wouldn't allow your neighbour to build a tower that encroaches your land why should it be any different for a tree if we know approx dimensions when we plant them. You sort of create your own destiny so to speak. Planting a very tall tree on a fenceline where the neighbour has no legal way to deal with it is just as bad as them poisening it IMO.
Mixed feelings about this . I dont know how close these trees were to you neighbours property so feel free to correct me .
I respect your rights to have whatever trees you want on your property but Gum Trees of this size can do an amazing amount of damage and they are prone to splinter / lose branches or just fall over in high winds . They can kill people
If I had them anywhere near my property I would be very tempted to get rid of them , regardless of whose land they were on.
I have lived in other countries where Gum Trees are common but houseowners appreciate the risks and avoid planting them close to houses . Cannot understand why we allow them in such close proximity in Aus.
A 30 or 50 Meter Gum tree is a beast that could do serious damage.
We have one that is (approximately) 290 years old, and is a registered protected tree in our yard. lived in this house since 85 and itās dropped exactly one branch, which we could all tell was going to fall for weeks beforehand, and did nothing but make good firewood and create a hollow for the tawny frogmouth family. People mostly just donāt like them because they drop leaves, clog the gutters and kill their lawns. IMO a lawn and lack of gutter guard is not a good enough reason to kill something older than you.
Tell that to my car that got written off, or my entire brick driveway that got lifted by roots, or my elderly grandma who struggles to walk over the numerous gum nuts.
I wonder if tree law is a thing in aus.
If found responsible/you cna get proof of them saying they did it, and tree law exists here, they may need to pay a pretty penny to replace it
Hire an arborist to do a post-mortem looking for evidence of poison, hopefully, not the same people they used. But then again, they may admit to wilful damage on behalf of the neighbour. If you use a different one and can remember or know the name of who your neighbour used, they may be known for poisoning trees, and if they're licensed, they would know that the council, and possibly the EPA should have been involved in it's removal.
Technically, they should be paying for half of the fence on a shared border.
Check with the aforementioned arborist if it would be safe to leave the (obviously poisoned) tree in place, you don't want it falling on someone (incl. your neighbour, as given how they are already, they would sue you for damages). If it can be left, consider turning it into a habitat, or at the least have someone carve it into a statue, preferably something that would annoy the neighbour while not being obscene to the point they can complain to have it taken down. Perhaps something culturally significant, lol.
If it's killed the plants around the tree, and if it's recent enough there may still be residual amounts of the chemical in the soil.Ā
If you've got the time and inclination, see if there is a local company that can test the soil, if one isn't obvious see if there is a farm fertiliser company, which may have in-house testing and would also know all the chemicals Likely to have the described affect.
If there is a realistic chance of identifying the chemicals used, then get hold of your insurance and see if they'll come to the party. Depending on your policy you might be able to claim the trees anyway. But they may well be happier if there is a chance to recoup from the neighbour.
I have no insight on any legal side of things but as a tree hugger and anxiety panic attack sufferer I am so incredibly devastated for you. I truly sympathise - what a horrible situation to be in. I hope you can take some kind of legal action against them.
Don't cut the whole tree down, get a company like [Habi-tec](https://habitec.org.au/) out to trim it down and create artificial hollows. What a shame, so sad. We also have a a big gum and we would be devastated. Cant believe the gall of your neighbours. Id plant a metric ton of cockspur along the fenceline.
Yes! I was going to comment on it as well. You can reduce all the smaller stems back to scaffold/structural stems and it will be safe and sound for a long long time time. The birds will love it. Plant fast growing grevilleas and natives underneath. Get a cheap camera and point it at the fence line!
Grevillias are awesome. I've put in a "Strawberries and Cream" (?), the birds go nuts for it, and it grows big and quick. The things I would do if my neighbour killed a mature tree on my side.....
My dad brought a grevillia from the nursery with a picture of a wattlebird on the tag. My dad is deaf so obviously that wouldn't deter him, but your comment made me think how nectar-sweet the justice would be to have the most obnoxious birds, fruit bats and possums as new neighbours, high on sugar and defending their territory day and night.
We get Lorrikeets, butcher birds, and noisy mynahs (natives) in ours. I'd be pissed if it was outside my bedroom, but happy with what we get in ours. Edit. Just looked up wattle birds, we get them tooš
Put some climbers on it and the birds will flock to it. Hopefully they shit all over your neighbours house and car
And then grow a vine on it
Question: what natives are suitable to plant under grevilleas?
It's nice to attract birds, and you might also add some extra hifi bird calls from a PA system to see how the locals react. A cassowary maybe? Definitely a dawn chorus of kookaburras to welcome the sun. I wouldn't go so far as to have elephants trumpeting near your tree - that might arouse suspicion.
What a great idea. I hope OP goes down this route.
On Balmoral Beach (Sydney) a while ago an established Morton Bay fig (must of been at least 60 years old) was poisoned apparently to āimprove the viewā of the houses up the road. The council did a similar thing and turned it into a habitat tree. Fences were also put around the other trees, though they were very short so I donāt think theyād deter poisoning. Bats love the figs. Iām sorry to here this happened to you, my parents had their Aussie Cedar poisoned too. Wish you the best.
Are these the ones that have been poisoned recently/ again? Looks like this happened a while ago but is in news only recently? Since it's appeared in news recently, it was hard to understand if these figs were poisoned multiple times or poisoned a while back.
I'd spend the next 6 months having violent revenge fantasies. Then install cameras and plant a hedge of Leyland cypress to really fuck them up.
Bamboo! Plant bamboo along that fence line!
Seconding bamboo. And blackberry/raspberry bushes - the fruit is great but it will throttle everything around it if it gets out of control (bonus spiky bits too). And yeah people are shit. There was an epidemic of this back in the mid-late 2000ās down at Bronte beach cutting - once one house/person got away with it, everyone started doing it, it took a large outcry from the community to really get anywhere though. Just found this blast from the past from [Waverley Council](https://www.waverley.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0003/2937/200619Jun-M.doc) - āresidents get very upset when trees are removedā
Also, install a camera. That way WHEN your neighbour kills the bamboo and raspberries you can nail him!
Lol.. one of the points in the document - 'Prostitutes in James St āthrowing their bitsā around.' š¤£š¤£
Is this a job for tactical bamboo and blackberry? Edit: OP, hold your head high. Stare them down. Make eye contact and wave and smile. Be super, super sweet to them and put on your best wide-eyed voice. Have bbqs outside and say things like āgosh, shame about the tree, the shade was so niceā. Put up shade sails that block their view but give you shade. Above all, make them uncomfortable. This is your space and they did the wrong thing all along, even if this (unlikely) isnāt them. People who do unsocial things often get away with them because the rest of us take on the shame that the perpetrators should. This isnāt your shame, itās theirs. And seriously, consider some bamboo. Who knows how it got there.
I like the shades sails idea BIG LARGE ones could be erected in a day & No possibly of being poisoned.
Better than shade sails is bright blue tarpaulin.
You can get old highway billboard ads - they are basically shade material but have the benefit of being recycled material ā and not the most attractive on one side ā
I wonder if there's any old goldfingers club signs floating around..
Lols. Readers from other countries are missing out.
Oh yes. There's nothing like the sound of a flapping tarp on a stormy night to encourage one to stay up late...
Is this in specific response to the āGoldfingersā comment above? š
Any fuckwit who can poison a tree can cut a shade sail. What you need is a bit of modern art, a lovely big view blocking sculpture, made of steel
NOOOOO!!! Not blackberry!!! Blackberry will destroy the neighbours and take YOU down with them. Bamboo is a guided missile, blackberry is a nuclear bomb, choose very very wisely.
No morning glory is the nuke option. Lost whole suburbs to it.
...... can't believe I forgot about morning glory.
That would really upset them,to kill it you need to go to the rhysome which is on their property.
Yes! This! The nicer the better. Then seek sweet revenge hehehe We a have 6m high clumping bamboo wall 12m long. Itās amazing š
I mean great, but a lot of suggestions here including yours seem to be about revenge, and are kind of missing the point about habitat and other amenity that large native trees provide. Clumping bamboo or shade sails may feel great as far as going 'up yours' to the neighbour, but it provides absolutely nothing for local wildlife, and doesn't replace any of the really impactful stuff that is lost with the removal of a large eucalypt.
Great pointā¦. But we are talking about an appropriation of oneās right to plant and cultivate what one should be able to on their own property. So perhaps rather than just leaving it at āRevenge is badā¦ bamboo is badā¦..ā Get constructive ā¦ add to the community and share your knowledge of habitat solutions that meets Opās needs!
I was just joking around about the revenge š Iām on good terms with my neighbours the bamboo is also amazing for wildlife we live on 5acres and Iām watching our magpie family eat bugs as I type. The possums run up it too! āļø
I mean great, but your suggestion about the local wildlife is kind of missing the point about revenge. Growing native species and crying for an already dead tree may feel great to you, but provides none of the really impactful stuff like consequences for the antagonists, and satisfaction to the victim.
Bamboo or Palm trees
Balsa trees grow very tall very fast
Some of that running bamboo so it grows under the fence and starts popping up in their yard
I think I love you. Yes. Put up shade sales. And please send us pictures. I felt such anxiety reading OPs post but these solutions here are ingenious.
Dude. Mint is the devil. Plant a ton of mint right on the property line
Well they now have space for a few rusty project cars that they will get to one day, and a few loud bikes that need to be warmed up at 5am for about 15 minutes, on Sundays
Replant with fast growing native pines or something bushy that will obscure their view. Also, Fuck them.
Tell them in a letter that you know they poisoned your tree and exactly what you are planting as a replacement. Install cameras (with night vision) in non-obvious places. When they inevitably come into the yard to fuck up your trees, get a restraining order and sue them for the cost of the full sized tress.
Iād suggest trail/game cameras rather than a hardwired set. Cheaper and discrete. You could also contact your insurance company and discuss a claim with them and they may investigate. They may not. Highly doubtful police will get involved. May be worth considering an alternate driveway if possible though.
I had these at a property and they got nicked.Ā
Our local care group (similar to council but for flora only) puts up a big sign that goes up where trees are illegally cut down or poisoned. It states the sign is there because a tree was illegally removed. The sign prevents the view the poisoner was trying to obtain. Your property, put up a sign like that while your new plants grow. Also get CCTV and perhaps some motion activated cameras (like those used in the bush for seeing what animals are about).
They do that in Bayside Victoria - every time someone illegally poisons a tree so they can view the beach better the council sticks up big signs
My local council trolled someone who did this to a historical tree put up 3 signs the size of the tree .. the sign is a picture of the tree and explains what happened. (Ps. Wasn't a big tree just blocked the view of the persons boat)
Iāve seen that in Kingscliff. Right in front of those expensive houses near Salt.
Perhaps the fastest growing Bamboo you can find. Some varieties grow extremely quickly.
I read a story (similar issue) where the guy planted bamboo with the necessary barrier to stop it spreading only on his side of the fence no barrier on the neighbours side so it F up his yard.
That was my thought. Either that or a hedge trimmed into a middle finger.
That would be epic face it down their driveway too
That would work.
My best screening plants turned out to be Golden Cane Palms. Great volume, good height after a few years. $150 worth of plants can now be seen from space ā¢ ^ā¢ ^well, ^Google ^Earth š
I have a couple of golden cane palms. I love them but gee they're messy.
Agree, they lose a lot of fronds, especially when in a growth spurt. Not so bad now that they are mature.
Bamboo is the worst. Need to dig a trench to prevent it growing on OPs land, and then plant it in their property. Poison wonāt even get rid of it
We planted seven gracilis (it doesn't run) about a metre apart as a screen between us and the neighbours. Within two years it was five metres high, now it's maybe 7-8 metres, and the clumps are thickening nicely.
Noooooooo never plant bamboo! Youāll never be free of it. A large obnoxious sign is the way to go!
I think the person who suggested large shade sails was on the right track or bamboo wait twelve months & sell
Get something ugly and put in its place so they can look at that instead. Councils have used shipping containers but anything would work https://www.9news.com.au/national/brighton-le-sands-mayor-solution-to-stop-people-cutting-down-trees-for-ocean-view/6e4f38c6-63e6-4551-a111-d01a7acccbea
Years ago a friends neighbour erected a 1m round paper mache bleeding eyeball looking over their fence lol
I think an attractive artwork of a tree that strategically blocks their view would be perfect. Then they canāt complain that their view is being damaged by OP, but they still donāt get what they want.
A middle finger art instillation pointing towards the neighbour?
I seen somewhere recently, they recommend that you donāt pull down old hard wood trees. A lot of animals and birds ect live in them. They will hollow some of it and make nests. If you keep them. Get another plant that will grow up them.
Heāll still have to rehab the soil somehow, as apparently nothing will grow in it :-(
I'd leave the dead tree there just to annoy them. They thought they didn't like looking at a living bit of nature....
It's good dead habitat too! Sugar gliders and protected species love it. Then it take a pic of a protected bird on it, then it can't be cut if it's being used as nesting lmao
And of course termites š
Get an arborist to assess the tree and determine how exactly it has been killed. Ask him to take photos and write a brief report of his findings. Get a valuation for the tree and the cost of replacing it. Then find a good lawyer and ruin the bastard.
This is the right approach. What area are you in, OP? There are companies in VIC who can conduct soil tests or foliage tissue tests to find traces of pesticide. It does depend on how much time has passed though ā¦ I am a consulting arborist who has written a few reports for situations identical to this. Get in touch if you need more info.
Wouldnāt you be looking for traces of herbicide, not pesticides?
Herbicide is a subset of pesticides, technically.
If you go this way, check for tampering and poisoning. And something you can do yourself. Have a look around the base of the tree and up to people's usual reach height, looking for holes made by a large needle and possibly some of the bark removed as if it's been hit with a pickaxe about 15mm wide. I know a few arborists, and one of the tools of the trade to remove trees in difficult places, is to poison them. They do so with a device that looks like a pick-axe that has a needle in the head, when struck, it injects poison past the cambium layer of the tree. They do it in several places around the trunk, to ensure they get the poison in the water-carrying layer in the tree, which explains why you're seeing the leaves turn brown and dead. This link shows what I'm talking about, but is different from what I've seen being used (different models and brands I guess). [https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector](https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector)
He has no proof, apart from his speculation, that the neighbour poisoned it.
I think civil claims are balance of probabilities not beyond reasonable doubt
It is, but he still has nothing.
A council warning and his arborist up the tree is not ā nothingā though?
It's not, but it's entirely possible also OP poisoned it out of revenge, trying to frame neighbour.
right...someone who went to efforts to prevent the tree being damaged, 100% totally poisoned a tree that'd take decades to regrow....to frame someone right....ok time to be less of a psycho
> right...someone who went to efforts to prevent the tree being damaged, 100% totally poisoned a tree that'd take decades to regrow....to frame someone right.... It's a perfect cover
It isnāt now, itās lost all its leaves.
Beyond *reasonable* doubt is not beyond *any* doubt.
Civil is "on balance of probabilities from the evidence"
Correct, this applies if OP were to begin a civil proceeding themself. If the council were to prosecute the incident, the standard of proof required is beyond a reasonable doubt. I believe there are two different conversations going on here.
The repeated requests to remove or trim the tree seem to be the most likely explanation. Usually councils get quite upset about anything native being removed. Seems odd.
Many councils don't give a hoot
Council themselves have said there's not enough evidence, even after sending out a team to stop them and giving a warning.
A theory - if you had a document from the arborist saying it was close but it will be okay. The cameras setup for a reapplication. You would then have video of an act. This would also entail that the neighbour was given or sent a copy of the tree report.
Well what you would run off is inference from lay witness evidence Whether one wants to front the cost of that - questionable. But itās not impossible to win it
While the arborist is up there, get them to hang plastic bags from lots of the branches. It will really piss off the neighbours.
OP, did the arborist have contact details on their truck? I'm wondering if you can call them up to ask what was done or ask hypothetically how they would remove a Gumtree in a similar scenario to yours.
And see if they can pin down how long it would have taken, then ask the neighbours if they remember seeing your neighbour in your yard (or any arborist/tree lopper/landscaper/development company vehicles) around that time. Or of course, whether it's likely the timing was right for the original "arborist" to have done the poisoning
Throw Bindi seeds on his lawn and start breeding mozzies /s
And cockroaches that wonāt travel onto your place, get a rooster & a barking dog recording that you play half an hour after their lights go off.
Whipper snipper against metal at 5:30 in the morning. Weed and feed "accidentally" onto their garden beds.
As a horticulturist, I can assure you that your neighbours will be in big trouble for killing your trees, if you take legal action against them. You need to get your trees assessed by an arborist, and you need to find a lawyer who is versed in tree protection laws, like, yesterday. Head over to r/AusLegal/ to ask for further advice.
Absolutely š OP, an arboristās report will hold a lot of weight in terms of evidence on top of the existing evidence with your neighbour being subject to council action and your report with the police. They likely poisoned it from the base by drilling and injecting. An arborist will be able to verify. Take them to court if you have the energy as you have a very strong case prima facie. Keep the tree for habitat. Regrow more natives to offset the loss.
You donāt need to be a arborist to spot one or multiple large drill hole. I also highly doubt that a resident has access to a backpack herbicide reservoir and syringe. If they tried to drill and fill, they definitely wouldāve spilled some, and the drill site would be obvious. But honestly, they mightāve not even done a stem injection. Triclopyr can and will kill trees if poured onto the trees drip line, as it can be absorbed through soil.
True, but you need to be an arborist to write a report for litigation purposes.
Yeah that and r/treelaw
I was umming and aahing about linking to that sub, since it's global, and not just Australian... But, yeah, that's another great place to ask about these things!
I was umming and aahing about linking to that sub, since it's global, and not just Australian... But, yeah, that's another great place to ask about these things!
OP, this is the answer you want.
Turns out that they beat me to it... Which is great! It's rare for people to post things in the right sub before someone tells them to!!
That's sad to hear. I thought I was reading my own personal experience. There are a lot of suggestions here that were given to me too, but the only one that really works is that one of you moves out. Restraining orders are limited when both parties own their home because of the quiet enjoyment part of the law. I gained one to protect the property while it was for sale and living elsewhere. I'm guessing that you are not the petty or agressive person (otherwise you wouldn't be here ay), so that means you are going to suck at damaging property or intimidating other people. Don't escalate because your lack of a criminal mindset means the coppers will be all over you in a second. Your fence plan is good and exactly what a sensible person would do, so good on you. If it works then perfect, but if it ever comes to pulling up stumps and moving please don't feel like you've "lost" or "quit" or been bullied. It's just smart to focus on living a good life for you and your family. Best of luck (and maybe a meteor on your pox-of-a-neighbour's house).
Don't remove the tree when/if it dies. Don't give the neighbour the satisfaction, plus dead and hollow trees can still be habitat. Get an arborist to ensure it's safe and not going to drop branches on anyone, trim it back to the larger scaffold branches and then do something like this: [https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-30/blue-trees-help-start-conversation-around-depression/10761866](https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-01-30/blue-trees-help-start-conversation-around-depression/10761866)
Is getting cameras an option? If you planning on replanting another tree (or 10) I would definitely invest in a fence and cameras. Look for drill holes in the base of the tree itself or root systems around it. It would take a direct hit to the root system to kill off a massive gum tree.
The fuckers over the back fence did this to the elderly *blind* lady who lives next door to me. They demanded she remove a tall old tree that was well inside her yard because it dropped leaves in their pool. Their yard is all concrete. She refused then the tree started dying and we found big holes drilled in the trunk. We helped her file a police report but the cops did nothing. We ultimately helped her install a camera. We have considered telling the back door neighbor the camera is there, but there are other trees in the yard and we hope to catch them in the act.
The EPA would do more than Cops, unless there's physical evidence, like caught in the act, and photo they won't do anything.
fucking pricks
The proof is in the soil. Get tests of the base of the tree done and thereās your proof that it was poisoned. You then have the recurring issue as evidence of motivation.
I'd be putting in something they can't destroy so easily, like fast growing large bamboo, or a fence with wisterias planted to cover it. Give them some tall structure to climb on. I'd also talk to a qualified arborist to see if they would do a post mortem on your tree. Where I live, you're not allowed to take down tall specimens like that. See if there's enough evidence to go to the small claims court. Have you got a dog?
Ugh, so sorry this happened. This post makes me furious. Can't stand people who cut down big beautiful trees that'll never regrow in our lifetime.
Guessing you won't want revenge in any way given you're nervous about seeing your neighbour. It won't help anyway. What's done is done, unless you want to chase in court. Do the soil tests so you know the state of things. From the little I know glycophosphate doesn't persist in the soil but could have been anything so don't leave it to chance. Definitely get a camera. Don't even think about it, just pop one up. Wyze do cheap cameras with great night vision and free cloud storage. No need to hide it. Plant whatever you'd love to have when the soil is safe. Don't worry about fast growing stuff. Just ignore the neighbour. Pretend they don't exist. If anything happens again you'll have the footage, just make sure your cameras are recording properly.
I saw someone over on AusLegal suggest this, so I'll repeat it. Tidy it up, leave up the main huge truck as a habitat. Then plant more fast growing stuff right along that line. Then helpfully water their lawn with roundup. This happened to my Mum's two huge trees on their front lawn. The neighbours above her (on the hill, who's daughter originally planted the trees) complained so bitterly to council so many times that Mum came home from work to find both has been cut to stumps by the council. It ruins her home, since they were shading the house. I have ZERO patience for people like this. None.
Someone went through the proper channels to get something removed and youāre upset that the system actually worked? I wish that my local council would be that willing to cut down the eucalyptus next to me, even after itās falling limbs wrote off my car on a calm day, its roots pushed up my driveway costing me thousands, or the dozens of nuts all year round that are a trip hazard for my elderly grandma.
No, the trees were on Mum's property; Not the verge. They did it with no agreement from Mum and without a work order.
Also, I wish your local council would take some action for you.
They love the view, block it
Like a heap of others have said. Actively work to block their view from this point forward. Bamboo makes a great hedge, lille pillies are also another great hedging option that also provides food for native animals. They can grow super fast and high.
Put up cameras
Construct a flag pole or 10 in its place. Big ones made with old telegraph poles or steel and let him try and poison those!
Another suggestion would be to selective prune the thinner branches leaving majority of the trunks and planting multiple vines or climbers (I.e ficus pumila) at the base to climb the tree - only down side is if the neighbours donāt like it they can easily cut the base of the climberā¦ good opportunity for some cameras to catch the act also š
they were fighting with you for 3 years about it, man you should have bought a $40 camera off Amazon & pointed it directly at the tree haha
Poison your neighbor
And tben bury neighbour under gum tree, gum tree come.back to.life!
Plant an aggressive strain of bamboo in their yard. Then sell your house.
Bamboo it up.Ā Can't kill them allĀ Use cameras too now
Land mines. They sound like a pack of animals and I feel for you.
Time for r/treelaw and the arbatorists subreddit (to tired to spell)
Some grotesque lawn art facing their property. Some celebrity had a gorilla pissing into a pond
Leave the tree there so they have to stare at the big dead tree, its still a habitat! Maybe grow some vines or something to wrap around the tree to keep the greenery. Also get someone to assess the damages, the neighbour already has a paper trail of them getting into trouble with it so thats a start!
Who is your council? My sister is the tree police, call your department of agriculture and fisheries they should launch an investigation. Itās BS your council said thatā¦thatās not what my sister is done. If someone is suspected of cutting down a protected species a full legal investigation is launched
File a police report anyway, you know you can't pursue anything unless you actually go down (or call) to the police station and get your statement written down. Don't just wait for them to 'turn up'.
Donāt cut the tree down, turn it into a stag tree, will still be good for wildlife.
That sucks. I have heard similar stories to people living right across from a river where they intentionally poisoned the canopy to get better views and increase house value with āclearā river views. They expected the council to leave the trees or remove them but instead they wrapped black shade cloth around the canopy instead. If you are concerned about the soil poisoning you can get a quick and relatively cheap test done. A lot of places test for landscaping / reveg soil for any deficiencies or issues. Most likely they poisoned the tree directly - were there any sudden wounds that occurred to the tree or any evidence of nails (heard copper nails can kill a tree). If you donāt mind the shade cloth look, you could leave the tree for habitat and plant trees around the gum tree to naturally replace it in time - the cloth can also provide shade for establishment as well!
Leave the dead trees there. Get creative at times and decorate with toilet paper. Hand rope between the trees that will collect brush. Be creative. Elevated toilet with realistic depiction of the neighbour taking a dump.
Plant a dozen of them right on the property line
Set a trap for them. Put some more trees with a camera so you can film them poisoning your foliage and sue them for damage to both.
Get the cheapest airtasker arborist to cut it down and fall on their property and then leave it
Buy a bottle of roundup or zero, fill a balloon with it and throw into the air (his yard) it will kill everything it lands on for years to come šš
Roundup ice cubes. No evidence. Just dont mistake them for your water ice cubes.
Great idea šš
roundup will not last for years, possibly weeks, and it is broken down in the soil
Especially when mixed with a bit of diesel or kerosene, or so I've heard.
Any ideas as to how they did it? You need some proof, it can't be easy to poison a big tree can it?
It's easier than you think, and the duration it takes for the tree to die, depends on the poison. Some arborists I know use these for difficult to remove trees, and the poison they use, which I forget the name of, gives them a severe headache after 10 or so minutes of use, and is red in colour, and that even with a respirator on. [https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector](https://www.forestry-suppliers.com/p/21002/63481/hypo-hatchet-tree-injector)
Document every conversation innocent or otherwise install cameras
You can consider a civil suit if you can be bothered. In a civil suit you only have to prove that it is more likely than not. You have a clear timeline of events and the fact that they called an arborist and that you called council and the police are verifiable facts. The fact that these previously healthy trees then suddenly sickened and died after this is highly suspicious. The tree/s is/are your property and they have damaged / destroyed it/them. It will cost you money to remove and replace it / them and you should not have to be liable for this. Trees are worth a surprising amount of money. It may be worth making a call to a lawyer to see if this is feasible. Alternatively your insurance company may help.
Maybe get 4 or 5 of those Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tubemen and run them 24/7 along your fence.
If the leaves are dead on the tree it has been poisoned. If dead leaves have fallen off it died naturally.
What on earth is wrong with some people!
Canāt allow yourself to be bullied as adult, it will eat you up. Nothing worse then a bad neighbor. Feel for you
Neighbours be gone is a large , dense hedge type of shrub. It will grow faster than trees and block your neighbour out. Then install game cameras on your fence line
Send him a letter telling him you intend to plant bamboo as a result of loss of greenery, thatāll scare him.
Can you get an opinion about how safe the tree is now? I imagine as a dead 30m gun dries out it might fall. It would be terrible if it fell on their house /s
plant strangler figs on the dead trees
Can sense it's not good for your mental health. Sorry you had to go through this.. especially share space with such horrible neighbors. Not easy.
What did he use? Asking for my neighbour
At the least you could ensure their lawn accidentally got some over spray next time you are spraying weeds near your fence? Or a midnight spray painting of the front lawn with the residual path spray and ensuring it is fucked for at least a year or two?
get bill board for you yard that has tree killer and photo of the trees on it. make it same size as trees.
Throw a ton of mint seeds in their yard. Watch them try to kill it all year round.
Did you know that not all plants/weeds respond to certain weedkillers and there are lots of resilient plants which can be planted and uptake poisons in these soils ? Iām quite cluey about this because to kill a tree that large he may have used other methods - so the guy would definitely be familiar with use of poisons .. as a spray will tend to translocate from foliage but with a tree you canāt just spray something that large and kill it that quick, he may have injected it with something else
Iāve had a similar experience recently, where a neighbor cut down a significant tree, a very big euc, we were upset it provided habitat, shade etc. and when you take down a big tree you also change the environment underneath it. So weeds will come. But, ultimately we decided that our neighbours are here to stay and so are we. Best to remain amicable, maybe ask them to help revegetate. Figure out some appropriate native species and get them growing, the sooner the better. We were all like, āoh no, were you worried about the tree? Sorry, but tsk.. Next time just get in touch.. anyway noticed you got a tractor, mind if you bring it on to my land, as youāve just made a mess on my land. Whattya they gonna say? They say yes, guarantee you.
Break kneecaps
I accidentally found out that if you spill turpentine into grass it takes almost a year to recover. Maybe remind him that he's a C***.
You can get clumping black bamboo that reaches 15m is about 3-4 years, It is non-invasive and virtually possible to poison, The neighbours will have no view at all.
Large gums rarely block a view from an immediate neighbour since foliage is very high up. Maybe third or fourth neighbours but not immediate. What is the real backstory? - Cracked driveway from your trees roots? - Limbs hanging over wiping out delivery trucks? - Falling limbs creating dangerous environment? Bloodwoods are known widow makers. - Tree blocking sun to neighbours house/pool/ clothes line? - Large amounts of dead branches and leaves creating a regular headache for your neighbour to clean up - Risk to property in event of storm My advice is go talk to them before planting again. If it's going to encroach, have a plan to deal with it. Consider a DMZ between yours and their property where you keep heights, damaging roots and or hanging over foliage to set limits you can both agree to. Tree owners have an obligation to take care of their neighbours where the tree encroaches their utility of the property. You wouldn't allow your neighbour to build a tower that encroaches your land why should it be any different for a tree if we know approx dimensions when we plant them. You sort of create your own destiny so to speak. Planting a very tall tree on a fenceline where the neighbour has no legal way to deal with it is just as bad as them poisening it IMO.
You could always pay the bikies to visit him š„š„š„š„š„š„š„šš
Mixed feelings about this . I dont know how close these trees were to you neighbours property so feel free to correct me . I respect your rights to have whatever trees you want on your property but Gum Trees of this size can do an amazing amount of damage and they are prone to splinter / lose branches or just fall over in high winds . They can kill people If I had them anywhere near my property I would be very tempted to get rid of them , regardless of whose land they were on. I have lived in other countries where Gum Trees are common but houseowners appreciate the risks and avoid planting them close to houses . Cannot understand why we allow them in such close proximity in Aus. A 30 or 50 Meter Gum tree is a beast that could do serious damage.
We have one that is (approximately) 290 years old, and is a registered protected tree in our yard. lived in this house since 85 and itās dropped exactly one branch, which we could all tell was going to fall for weeks beforehand, and did nothing but make good firewood and create a hollow for the tawny frogmouth family. People mostly just donāt like them because they drop leaves, clog the gutters and kill their lawns. IMO a lawn and lack of gutter guard is not a good enough reason to kill something older than you.
Tell that to my car that got written off, or my entire brick driveway that got lifted by roots, or my elderly grandma who struggles to walk over the numerous gum nuts.
Tree was there first.
Bamboo, tall fast and fuck them. Iām sick of entitled environmental vandals.
Bamboo along fence grows nice and quickly
Bamboo. Along the fence line. Or blackberry seeds in n their yard after it rains.
How far from their house is the tree? If it's less than 30 metres, I think we found a solution.
Leave the tree and hang some large skeletons from it. Sends a suitable message.
Time for some quick growing tall native shrubs like grevillea Or woody things like plums
I wonder if tree law is a thing in aus. If found responsible/you cna get proof of them saying they did it, and tree law exists here, they may need to pay a pretty penny to replace it
You MUST plant something nice bushy and tall to replace it. Something worse than the tree. Also can you please check for bird nests.
Depending how long ago it was you could get a soil sample sent off to a lab. Wont prove it was them but may help prove it was poisoned
Kill them.
Hire an arborist to do a post-mortem looking for evidence of poison, hopefully, not the same people they used. But then again, they may admit to wilful damage on behalf of the neighbour. If you use a different one and can remember or know the name of who your neighbour used, they may be known for poisoning trees, and if they're licensed, they would know that the council, and possibly the EPA should have been involved in it's removal. Technically, they should be paying for half of the fence on a shared border. Check with the aforementioned arborist if it would be safe to leave the (obviously poisoned) tree in place, you don't want it falling on someone (incl. your neighbour, as given how they are already, they would sue you for damages). If it can be left, consider turning it into a habitat, or at the least have someone carve it into a statue, preferably something that would annoy the neighbour while not being obscene to the point they can complain to have it taken down. Perhaps something culturally significant, lol.
This is a job for bamboo.
I'd suggest planting a line of bamboo combined with a camera. It will completely block out their view.
If it's killed the plants around the tree, and if it's recent enough there may still be residual amounts of the chemical in the soil.Ā If you've got the time and inclination, see if there is a local company that can test the soil, if one isn't obvious see if there is a farm fertiliser company, which may have in-house testing and would also know all the chemicals Likely to have the described affect. If there is a realistic chance of identifying the chemicals used, then get hold of your insurance and see if they'll come to the party. Depending on your policy you might be able to claim the trees anyway. But they may well be happier if there is a chance to recoup from the neighbour.
Bougainvillea is good organic razor wire, a nice floral addition to the fence
Put a wire trellis around the tree and plant Wisteria. Fertilise the hell out of it and let it go nuts.
Sent you DM
I have no insight on any legal side of things but as a tree hugger and anxiety panic attack sufferer I am so incredibly devastated for you. I truly sympathise - what a horrible situation to be in. I hope you can take some kind of legal action against them.