A post on r/treelaw, the Reddit sub all about legal matters related to trees, broke containment with a most egregious arboreal violation. People who have no particular attachment to trees are furious after a construction company allegedly claimed it would be "trimming" branches only to leave behind two long stumps.
Tree lawyers are salivating over the prospect of suing these clowns.
That's not what trimming means
Two weeks ago, r/LividWalk8179 created a surprisingly viral post for such a niche sub. The homeowner included photos showing before and after the "trimming," plus one of the notice informing them of the construction firm's plans.
The letter expresses the intent to trim the branches of the two trees extending across the property line and over the company's newly purchased lot. This is legal in most states and standard practice, as overhanging branches can impede construction and shed debris.
However, what this company did can in no way be defined as trimming. It cut both trees down, leaving zero branches and only two sad tree trunks sticking out a foot or two over the fence.
"I'm absolutely shocked, this is not pruning, this completely killed the two trees in my backyard, and without permits from the city," the OP wrote.
Not only did this destroy the Redditor's property, but it was also likely illegal in the state of California. The OP says those may have been ash trees, which are protected in their native state once they've grown to a certain size.
"It is above 12" in diameter at 4 feet tall, which might be the legal requirement (e.g., protected status) for this type of tree in my area (need to double-check this)," they added.
A commenter confirmed the tree's protected status, and the OP measured the trunks at 18 inches at the specified height. Somebody's in trouble.
"The holy grail of tree law adventures"
The shocking overstep of the definition of "trimming" that led to the unnecessary deaths of two beautiful trees earned the post a share on X. There, @TheWapplehouse called r/treelaw "the most anger inducing subreddit of all time."
Accounts that appear to have nothing to do with trees expressed severe rage toward the construction company.
"This should be illegal at the federal level," said @who_is_sumi.
"If I said what I truly thought about this I'd be banned from this site and investigated by the FBI," @florbosagbag declared.
Back on Reddit, all the Tree Law folks are telling the OP to lawyer up. Meanwhile, actual lawyers are wishing they could take that case.
"Holy sh*t, this is the holy grail of tree law adventures if you have the energy/time/financial capacity to litigate," wrote r/Dawdlenaut.
"They damaged your property, killed the trees, and admitted to violating the law in writing in a way that is designed to intimidate you.
"I danced a little jig in excitement at the chance to witness of fact this situation but don't live in your state."
"Exactly, as an attorney, if this was my area of law, I’d be giddy to take the case," r/rugaslightingme agreed.
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