Tree Law
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About
Tree Law is a section of the United States legal system that focuses on disputes about trees. The colloquial use of the catchphrase "tree law" increased after several viral posts on the subreddit /r/LegalAdvice due to the strongest punishments and fines inflicted on violators of Tree Law. The phrase saw a notable resurgence after several trees outside Universal Picture Studios were trimmed in July 2023, with many claiming it was a move to deny shade to SAG WGA picketers.
Origin
Tree law is a phrase used to refer to aspects of the United States legal system that deal with tree-related disputes. This includes fatalities caused by falling branches, disputes over tree sheering and removal, and disputes over ownership. Trees are well protected by the American legal system, cost thousands of dollars apiece, and damages to a tree can make one liable to up to three times a tree's value.[1][2][3]
On May 16th, 2018, the subreddit /r/TreeLaw was formed, with a post on the same day chronicling some of the most popular examples of tree law being invoked on /r/LegalAdvice[4] (seen below).
![277 Popular examples of Tree Law from r/legaladvice (self.treelaw) submitted 5 years ago * (last edited 5 years ago) by KaeAlexandria - announcement Hey there! Below I've compiled a list of threads from r/legaladvice[¹] where the OP has had an issue dealing with Tree Law specifically. If you have any to add, feel free to comment and I'll add them to the list. (Illinois) Neighbor, cut down a rare 150-year-old tree that has been in my family for generations.[²] [NV] Grandmother being sued for tree removal[³] [WA] A cut tree, an HOA, an a paint drawing. Renton, Washington.[4] [USA - IN] Road widening practically puts traffic in the living room; legal? (S----- paint graphic!) [5] My neighbor cut my trees![6] Continued: Update 3: My neighbor cut my trees! (NH) Resolved. [7] (Pennsylvania) This is incredibly stupid, but my neighbor keeps calling the police because of leaves from my tree[8] (TX) Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard [⁹] Continued: (UPDATE) (TX)Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard [¹⁰] These are just a few of my favorites! Add your own :) Edit for additions: u/nixienoodles [¹¹] brings us this, with original linked in the update: [UPDATE] [Oregon] Neighbor cut down trees on my property[¹2] 17 comments source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/625/134/4b2.png "Tree Law")
Spread
The subreddit /r/LegalAdvice often documents instances of tree law violations, with Redditor[5][6] /u/damagedpecan posted a post and update about illegal trimming in 2017 and 2018 (shown below, top) and Redditor[7][8] /u/yeahdisisathrowaway making a post and update in 2017 (shown below, bottom).
![776 [TX] Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard (self.legaladvice) submitted 5 years ago by damagedpecan My Mother in law called my spouse in tears because when she got home from a long vacation she found that the pecan tree that they'd planted 33 years ago had been cut back by about 40%, severely impacting the shade the tree was providing to her home and possibly threatening its health. Additionally, all of the ripe pecans were gone from the tree and yard, and the remaining crop on the tree are falling while not yet ripe, now, presumably due to the trauma. She was able to find out who the tree trimming company was and they told her they were not liable for their error (of course), and the police told her that they had not criminally trespassed because she doesn't have a no trespassing sign posted (?!). I've told her to contact an arborist to evaluate the damage done to the tree, and that she may need to pursue this as a civil suit, but she's not sure what sort of lawyer she needs to contact. This tree was planted by my late father- in-law when my spouse was a child, and they feel nearly like they've lost a family member from this violation. All of this is in Midland county, if that makes any difference. 99 comments source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/625/150/bc5.png "Tree Law")
![3563 [UPDATE][TX]Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard (self.legaladvice) submitted 5 years ago by damagedpecan Seeing the sweet justice that guy in Oregon got reminded me that I never updated on my MIL's situation! I apologize in advance if I get any details wrong, as this is hearsay from my partner and I haven't talked directly to my MIL about it. Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/76strr /tx_pecan_tree_severely_cut_back_by_trimmers_who/[¹] So my MIL had an arborist out who judged that, with some work and care, the tree should be able to survive the damage. By his appraisal, there was around $5500 in damage to the tree. Sadly, the photos my MIL was able to dig up weren't enough to let the arborist give a good estimate on how much the tree's nut production would be impacted, so she just went forward with that number. She had a lawyer friend draft up a registered letter to the tree trimmers explaining the arborist's appraisal and her intentions to pursue repayment through whatever legal means were necessary. The trimmers came back with an offer to pay that amount but in 3 installments over the next year. She countered half immediately and half in a month. Two weeks later she gets contacted by the trimmer's insurance company and they sent her a single check for the full amount. My MIL is out some shade, but got some green instead. Thanks, all, for your advice! 1 comment source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/625/149/758.png "Tree Law")
![3553 Update 3: My neighbor cut my trees! (NH) Resolved. (self.legaladvice) submitted 5 years ago by yeahdisisathrowaway Relevand background here[¹] Today they settled with me for $35K after legal fees. TL;DR Don't f--- with other people's trees. 1 comment source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/002/625/151/3ba.png "Tree Law")
On July 17th, 2023, Twitter[9] user @ChrisStephensMD posted a tweet that read, "@UniversalPics for trimming the trees that gave our picket line shade right before a 90+ degree week," gathering over 77,000 likes in two days (seen below, left). On July 19th, Twitter[10] user @cd4losangeles posted a tweet claiming that no permit was issued for trimming the trees in question, purportedly making Universal Pictures open to citations or an administrative hearing (seen below, right). However, Universal Studios has notably denied involvement.[12]
A webcomic about tree law is often invoked during discussions about tree law and is credited to Redditor /u/reachling.[11]
Search Interest
External References
[3] NYC Parks – Illegal Tree Work
[4] Reddit – /r/treelaw
[5] Reddit – /r/legaladvice
[6] Reddit – /r/legaladvice
[7] Reddit – /r/legaladvice
[8] Reddit – /r/legaladvice
[9] Twitter – ChrisStephensMD
[10] Twitter – cd4losangeles
[11] Reddit – /r/legaladviceofftopic
[12] Guardian – Universal Studios denies trimming trees to expose strikers to heatwave
Recent Videos
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![3553 Update 3: My neighbor cut my trees! (NH) Resolved. (self.legaladvice) submitted 5 years ago by yeahdisisathrowaway Relevand background here[¹] Today they settled with me for $35K after legal fees. TL;DR Don't f--- with other people's trees. 1 comment source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/625/151/3ba.png "Tree Law")
![776 [TX] Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard (self.legaladvice) submitted 5 years ago by damagedpecan My Mother in law called my spouse in tears because when she got home from a long vacation she found that the pecan tree that they'd planted 33 years ago had been cut back by about 40%, severely impacting the shade the tree was providing to her home and possibly threatening its health. Additionally, all of the ripe pecans were gone from the tree and yard, and the remaining crop on the tree are falling while not yet ripe, now, presumably due to the trauma. She was able to find out who the tree trimming company was and they told her they were not liable for their error (of course), and the police told her that they had not criminally trespassed because she doesn't have a no trespassing sign posted (?!). I've told her to contact an arborist to evaluate the damage done to the tree, and that she may need to pursue this as a civil suit, but she's not sure what sort of lawyer she needs to contact. This tree was planted by my late father- in-law when my spouse was a child, and they feel nearly like they've lost a family member from this violation. All of this is in Midland county, if that makes any difference. 99 comments source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/625/150/bc5.png "Tree Law")
![3563 [UPDATE][TX]Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard (self.legaladvice) submitted 5 years ago by damagedpecan Seeing the sweet justice that guy in Oregon got reminded me that I never updated on my MIL's situation! I apologize in advance if I get any details wrong, as this is hearsay from my partner and I haven't talked directly to my MIL about it. Original Post: https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/comments/76strr /tx_pecan_tree_severely_cut_back_by_trimmers_who/[¹] So my MIL had an arborist out who judged that, with some work and care, the tree should be able to survive the damage. By his appraisal, there was around $5500 in damage to the tree. Sadly, the photos my MIL was able to dig up weren't enough to let the arborist give a good estimate on how much the tree's nut production would be impacted, so she just went forward with that number. She had a lawyer friend draft up a registered letter to the tree trimmers explaining the arborist's appraisal and her intentions to pursue repayment through whatever legal means were necessary. The trimmers came back with an offer to pay that amount but in 3 installments over the next year. She countered half immediately and half in a month. Two weeks later she gets contacted by the trimmer's insurance company and they sent her a single check for the full amount. My MIL is out some shade, but got some green instead. Thanks, all, for your advice! 1 comment source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/625/149/758.png "Tree Law")
![277 Popular examples of Tree Law from r/legaladvice (self.treelaw) submitted 5 years ago * (last edited 5 years ago) by KaeAlexandria - announcement Hey there! Below I've compiled a list of threads from r/legaladvice[¹] where the OP has had an issue dealing with Tree Law specifically. If you have any to add, feel free to comment and I'll add them to the list. (Illinois) Neighbor, cut down a rare 150-year-old tree that has been in my family for generations.[²] [NV] Grandmother being sued for tree removal[³] [WA] A cut tree, an HOA, an a paint drawing. Renton, Washington.[4] [USA - IN] Road widening practically puts traffic in the living room; legal? (S----- paint graphic!) [5] My neighbor cut my trees![6] Continued: Update 3: My neighbor cut my trees! (NH) Resolved. [7] (Pennsylvania) This is incredibly stupid, but my neighbor keeps calling the police because of leaves from my tree[8] (TX) Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard [⁹] Continued: (UPDATE) (TX)Pecan tree severely cut back by trimmers who came to wrong yard [¹⁰] These are just a few of my favorites! Add your own :) Edit for additions: u/nixienoodles [¹¹] brings us this, with original linked in the update: [UPDATE] [Oregon] Neighbor cut down trees on my property[¹2] 17 comments source share save hide give award report crosspost hide all child comments](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/002/625/134/4b2.png "Tree Law")
