New England neighbor has his arborist friend unnecessarily cut down 2 maple trees on the property line shared between him and another resident: ‘I really miss my tree’

Author image for Lana DeGaetano
Lana DeGaetano • "Show me to me please."
Nov 22, 2025 6:00 PM EST

A good neighbor is a great ally to have in your neighborhood. If you need some extra ingredients for a cherry pie, they'll provide the sugar. If you need somebody to feed your cats while you're away for a long weekend, they've got it covered. But forget about it if you want to keep the tree on your property safe—they'll make sure that it's cut down come nightfall.

Property line disputes are among the most common feuds between homeowners. Someone wants what is clearly yours, and the rest is history. You know the deal if you've ever lived in close quarters on a residential street.

Your best bet is to stick to yourself, but unexpected things happen, and you will likely have to rally with your neighbor to find a solution. If they find a solution that negatively affects you without you… That's a different story.

The tree-hating neighbor in this next story hires their arborist friend to cut down a pine tree that had fallen over into two other maple trees. The maple trees are completely intact and on the property line between them and another resident, yet they decide to cut those down, too. The resident is upset, to put it mildly. Hear from her by reading the story below.

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  • 01
    lumberjack cutting down a tree
    via Getty Images For Unsplash+

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • 02

    "Neighbor decided what trees to cut down on my property"

    I had a very large pine tree fall down on my property, and it didn't hit my house only because it fell into another maple tree that broke the fall.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 03
    I live in a very tree heavy town in New England, I called the local tree guy on a Friday when it happened and he came on Monday.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 04
    Said tree guy is an old friend of my neighbor, they grew up in the town and very typical Boston townie guys.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 05
    My neighbor doesn't like trees, and he's seriously like a comical sight, as he spends all fall picking individual leaves off his already barren lawn.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 06
    Anyway tree guy cuts down what he is supposed to and 2 maples that are on the property line.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 07
    They then text me to come outside but I was not home. I sent my husband, who does not own the property out to see what they wanted.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 08
    When I asked my husband what they wanted he told me "they said they had to take another tree down".
    via simondrinkwater
  • 09
    When I got home I saw they had taken a giant beautiful maple that was showing no signs of rot.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 10
    It produced a lot of leaves and I know it drove my neighbor crazy. This was done without my knowledge or permission.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 11
    yellow and red leaves on a maple tree
    via Tasha Marie For Unsplash+
  • 12
    They told my husband they were doing it but he can't give permission, I am the only homeowner.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 13
    Do i have any recourse? I really miss my tree.
    via simondrinkwater
  • 14
    AlaskanDruid Yep. Sue both the neighbor and the tree guy and add the tree guy's company to the suit. Let the judge sort it out.
    via AlaskanDruid
  • 15
    CoffeeAndCandle Contact an attorney. Get a survey done immediately.
    via CoffeeAndCandle
  • 16
    Easy_Lengthiness7179 Get an arborist to certify the tree was healthy. Get a lawyer to find out what recourse their is.
    via Easy_Lengthiness7179
  • 17
    Sounds like the husband didnt give permission either, so it wouldn't matter if he was a homeowner or not, he said no anyways. Sounds like you might have a case, but that depends on having proof and both sides of the story.
    via Easy_Lengthiness7179
  • 18
    alicat777777 Normally yes. Your neighbor can't do that. But if your husband didn't clarify that he did not own the house and could not give permission, he was acting as your agent and gave permission and they acted on that.
    via alicat777777
  • 19
    Then it was your husband who is to blame. It all depends on exactly the circumstances for which you sent your husband to speak for you and how it unfolded. So it is not clear here whether you could pursue this.
    via alicat777777

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ask reddit feud neighbors neighborhood neighborhood-drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories reddit story terrible neighbors uncomfortable entitled tree property reddit thread Bad Neighbor r-entitled Reddit weird strange behavior property line entitled people neighbor conflict
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