Neighbour cut down trees while owner away to pay €50K

Oldtree

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/man-to-pay-neighbour-50-000-for-cutting-down-his-trees-1.2626373

The neighbour took the law into his own hands and was found to have "foolishly" trespassed on owners property (while the owner was away) to cut down seven trees and strongly trim back four others. Owner was awarded €48,700 damages and costs. Ouch

Simple search finding the Tree Councils webpage would have saved the neighbour a few bob http://treecouncil.ie/tree-advice/trees-law/ :P

My neighbour’s tree is overhanging into my garden. Do I have the right to prune back the branches?

A landowner may cut off any tree branches which over-hangs his/her property without giving notice to the owner of the tree, but may not cut down the tree or enter on to the land of the tree owner without permission. In so doing, the landowner must take care not to render the tree dangerous and may only cut on the side of and up to his/her boundary line. It is unlawful to ring bark or otherwise injure trees in such a manner as to cause them to die or decay. All cuttings must be given back to the owner of the tree, or at least offered back. If the owner of the tree doesn’t want the cuttings, they must be disposed of in a responsible way and should not be left in the tree owner’s property without permission.

You wonder what goes through people's minds sometimes.

Oldtree

Deleted User wrote: »

You wonder what goes through people's minds sometimes.

While I don't condone the neighbours' actions in this case, I do have somewhat of an understanding of the situation in specific circumstances. Sometimes through my work I come across people (neighbours) who due to especially lack of light, leaves/needles clogging gutters, irresponsible tree owners, roots encroaching, etc, etc, that through their perception of a constant blight, it wears them down over the years, so much so that they are at their wits end. I try to mediate where possible to get a suitable outcome for both parties.

It has to be said that while there is no right to light in Ireland, the winters here can be very dark, even darker (as an example) directly adjacent to or under Leylandii. Conversely during the summer a large deciduous tree like Sycamore will rob the light too creating a similar effect. The additional mental stresses involved imo are a genuine reason to completely remove and then replant a more suitable species. Its all about the right tree for the right site in the first instance and caring about the effect on your neighbours as a tree owner/planter.