Portland resident returns home to find the developer next door trying to remove their 100 year old tree

A homeowner battles a developer and utility company attempting to remove century-old trees from their property for cheaper overhead power line installation.


While having mature trees is a bonus to any property, casting cool shade that can be enjoyed and offering solace and screening from neighbors' prying eyes into your backyard, they can quickly become massive problems for a land owner and their neighbors.

One thing you learn quickly about having trees on your property is that trimming and pruning are not quite as simple as cutting a few branches off every now and again. It takes some serious know-how and a calculated approach to ensure the long-term health of the tree, and a tree that has been poorly maintained represents a troublesome issue at best and a potentially dangerous hazard at worst. 

Still, trees, and mature trees especially, are one of those features of a property that simply can't be replaced. It's not as if you're going to wait around for 50 to 100 years for another one to grow. Even if you were to plant one today, chances are you're not going to be there to see it reach maturity.

Like what you see? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google. 

Author image for Brad Dickson Brad Dickson
Add as a preferred
source on Google
Advertisement
  • 01
    An old oak tree growing next to a gate.
    via Annie Spratt

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

  • 02

    Developer trying to remove trees on my property

    I live in Portland, OR USA. A new developer is trying to remove a giant tree inside my property line (the tree is over 100 years old easily) and three trees on "my property," but technically outside of my fence line. I don't want any of these trees removed, but especially the one inside my property. The want them removed to put in power lines, so PGE (Portland General Electric, the local power company) is the one filing the permits to do the removing.
    via juxtaposedjena

  • The trees serve as a reminder that even if we own whatever home or land we reside on, we are merely borrowers, for the land, the trees, and the house itself were and will likely be there for far longer than we ever were, transcending our ownership of the land.

    We grow attached to them in this sense, as they transform our property and our homes into our sanctuaries.

    Trees hold not only immense value to us on a spiritual and emotional level, but considerable monetary and legal value too. And that's before you get into what trees are or aren't protected for reasons of ecological endangerment and historical significance. 

    For all of these reasons, that's why it becomes kind of "a big deal" when your neighbor decides to help themselves to overtrimming or felling a tree on your property. While in most places you can trim a tree's branches up to the boundary line, there are also limitations when doing so would endanger the health and well-being of the tree.

    This Portland, Oregon homeowner came into conflict with the developer that owned the property next door and the local electric organization, which is attempting to remove several trees on and near the homeowner's property in order to install some overhead powerlines. Whereas the plan had been initially to install the lines underground, the developer had suddenly swapped back to wanting to do overhead powerlines, which led the homeowner to suspect that this was being done as a cost-cutting initiative. 

    Determined to save the trees, they sought to contact the city and submit applications to designate the trees as heritage trees in order to protect them, promising to circle back with updates in a couple of weeks when they had updates.

  • 03
    What sort of recourse do I have? How can I prevent the removal of these trees, especially the one in my fence- line? Edit/Update: I talked to the PGE guy who has been in contact with me. He says the developer originally didn't want to do overhead lines because it was going to cost $35,000. He got an underground quote, and it must have been more expensive because the developer is back to wanting overhead lines.
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 04
    The giant tree is definitely in my property line. There's a question if it's in the "right of way." The PGE guy is going to have it re-surveyed in a couple of weeks. He says the developer is very impatient about all of this, and I got the feeling the PGE project guy is a little more on my side. Not that it'll matter if push comes to shove, but I am appreciative of him getting the land re-surveyed.
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 05
    I have contacted the City of Portland tree people and left a message. I submitted an application to designate the giant tree as a heritage tree. I'm going to comb through my title/mortgage paperwork and see what I can find about easements.
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 06
    I appreciate all of the suggestions. I'll post another update when I have one, but it probably won't be for at least a couple of weeks.
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 07
    A old oak tree growing on a property boundary, representative of the tree in the story
    via Valerie

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

  • 08
    1Muensterkat If they're in an easement, I'm sorry for your loss. If not, lawyer, survey.
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 09
    Weekly_Try5203 If the trees are in the power easement then there is nothing you can do. If they are not in the easement they can get off your property immediately
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 10
    NickTheArborist Often times utility companies will try to quickly cut down trees that could easily be worked around. You should hire a local consulting arborist that can see the scope of their intended project and help you to know how reasonable retention would be. If they have the right to cut them down and retention is impossible or unfeasible, say your goodbyes.
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 11
    Lord_Cavendish40k First, I'd direct that question to the governing authority where permits are being filed. A call to PGE might provide additional insight. As for your property description, inside or outside your fence doesn't matter but the location of the property line matters. The important question is whether or not PGE has an existing easement to use the land...or is that something they are asking to be granted by the county, etc. Again, you need more information.
    via juxtaposedjena
  • 12
    toxcrusadr If there was an easement on YOUR property it should be listed in your deed, or possibly elsewhere in the chain of title and referred to only as "easements of record" in the deed. I would suggest asking the utility first before digging at the Recorder's office. Sounds like they want the power line as far back as possible and to get the proper clearance that means your trees go. But if they do not have an easement ON YOUR PROPERTY already, you do not have to give them permission to cut
    via juxtaposedjena

Like what you see? Follow Us and Add Us as a Preferred Source on Google. 

Tags

hoa neighbors trees tree law neighborhood homeowner neighborhood-drama bad neighbors neighborhood-stories terrible neighbors Bad Neighbor neighbor
Scroll Down For The Next Article

Also From FAIL Blog

'Update: She booked the venue out from under us...': 31-year-old bride reluctantly accepts $25,000 gift from her future mother-in-law, who proceeds to hijack the wedding, hiring a "secret" wedding planner and secretly booking their desired venue

'Update: She booked the venue out from under us...': 31-year-old bride reluctantly accepts $25,000 gift from her future mother-in-law, who proceeds to hijack the wedding, hiring a "secret" wedding planner and secretly booking their desired venue

Trending Now

Boss issues formal warning to employee during her approved vacation in Cabo for missing a meeting added to her work calendar while she was out of the country

Boss issues formal warning to employee during her approved vacation in Cabo for missing a meeting added to her work calendar while she was out of the country

01
20-year-old traveler leaves chronically late friend behind at a gas station after repeated delays, makes her flight and learns to stop over-accommodating: 'I’m not missing a flight'

20-year-old traveler leaves chronically late friend behind at a gas station after repeated delays, makes her flight and learns to stop over-accommodating: 'I’m not missing a flight'

02
19-year-old employee gets called to boss's office and told off for refusing to come in on a day off, employee holds his ground: ‘Why should I be expected to come in?’

19-year-old employee gets called to boss's office and told off for refusing to come in on a day off, employee holds his ground: ‘Why should I be expected to come in?’

03
23-year-old contributing to groceries and chores refuses to start paying rent while older brother lives for free at home: 'I made it very clear to my parents'

23-year-old contributing to groceries and chores refuses to start paying rent while older brother lives for free at home: 'I made it very clear to my parents'

04
'I can't keep it to myself anymore': 35-year-old millennial engineer claims that older employees are making their work "impossible"

'I can't keep it to myself anymore': 35-year-old millennial engineer claims that older employees are making their work "impossible"

05
'Update: She booked the venue out from under us...': 31-year-old bride reluctantly accepts $25,000 gift from her future mother-in-law, who proceeds to hijack the wedding, hiring a "secret" wedding planner and secretly booking their desired venue

'Update: She booked the venue out from under us...': 31-year-old bride reluctantly accepts $25,000 gift from her future mother-in-law, who proceeds to hijack the wedding, hiring a "secret" wedding planner and secretly booking their desired venue

06
Advertisement