New neighbor cuts down most branches on homeowner's tree while they're away on vacation and shows no remorse: ‘This tree will never again be what it once was’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 2, 2025 6:00 PM EST

The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

Remember that one gargantuan tree from your childhood that you'd sit under while reading one of your favorite novels? Its leaves would change with the seasons, transforming themselves from a welcoming green to a vibrant crimson and, eventually, a soft brown to signify the end of one season and the beginning of another. Its bark felt rough against the middle of your back, and there were one too many spiders lingering in its branches, but if you could go back and sit under that same tree once more, you would do so in a heartbeat.

Unfortunately, you can't. The new next-door neighbor actually cut it down last week while your parents were on vacation! Well, the new neighbors featured in this next story didn't cut down your parents' tree, but they probably would. They cut down this woman's tree while she was away on vacation, so likely nobody's tree is safe. You'll see in the photos below that the once branch-filled trunk is now nearly barren, and the woman explains that part of the reason she had closed on her home years ago was because of this tree. The best part? The neighbor has no remorse. Scroll to read.

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    "New neighbor waited for me to be on vacation to cut off half my tree without notice"

    They've been here less than a year. Responses to this were to laugh about it, tell me it was
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    "legal" even though he was well over the property line to do it, make disrespectful
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    comments about my [body], and then say he wasn't "in the mood to deal with my emotions right
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    now" because he had a bad day. I am livid. That tree was part of why I bought the property in the first place.
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    MeowlanieC 1) Small update: So it's late, and it's been a loooooooonnng couple days. I'm not sure how best to update this. As
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    you all know there is a lot of nuance to these situations legally and I'll do my best to update and clarify the things I'm
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    seeing brought up in the comments later. For right now One item I'd like to address is that while there is the line of what
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    is technically LEGAL this very rarely makes a person a good neighbor. I am of course very upset that this tree has
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    been disfigured, likely permanently, and afraid it may cause it to decline and die in the future because of rash actions.
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    on the part of another person. Compounding the issue is the general attitude of the person in question, which has
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    been AH behavior that doesn't leave much or probably any room for repair of the relationship.
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    I am talking to the arborist for a plan. forward, one thing being injecting the soil around
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    the roots with a nutrient solution to help the tree have all the energy it needs to hopefully recover from such
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    extreme cuts. He already used a sealant to protect the multiple scarred areas on the bottom of the trunk and roots
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    where falling cuts opened wounds on the tree, so hopefully that prevents fungal infection. In general, the
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    biggest problem here is that I wasn't consulted in any way or forewarned and that's just a great way to immediately drop a bomb on a relationship.
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    In the process he did. trespass to do the cuts. Yes, leaving stubs isn't healthy, hence the reason for communicating with me, which did not happen. I
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    will be taking some of the advice here from you good people (but not all- --we're not going to burn anything down or
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    release pregnant spiders even though it's a little. fun to imagine) and when it's more settled and I know more I will update, but as for right
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    now, I am tired. Thank you for a few chuckles, but most of all, for understanding how gutted I am that this tree. will never again be what it once was.
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    MrStormChaser You and your neighbor don't have a relationship because if you did he wouldn't have trespassed on your property then gaslight you while being rude when you confronted him. It's time to hurt him where it hurts most. His wallet then his ego. In the meantime, make sure you have good working cameras with good sound along the property line. Don't back down!
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    Fianna9 Don't forget to track all the costs with the arborist that he incurred
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neighbors neighborhood neighborhood-drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories reddit story terrible neighbors entitled tree arbor reddit thread Bad Neighbor r-entitled Reddit entitled people vacation neighbor
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