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+--- Thread: Property line/tree neighbor question (/showthread.php?tid=266140)
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - vision63 - 04-18-2022
Google Maps Street View lets you see a property historically every time one of their camera cars passed it by. Maybe you can see it's genesis that way.
You neighbor could just have been ignorant about the nature of the tree so I wouldn't sweat them. I would let them know that I'm concerned about what the tree can do over the long term.
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - mattkime - 04-18-2022
If you're on good terms with this neighbor then you should be direct with them as soon as possible. IMO this is preferable to the back and forth you're currently involved in where it sounds like the neighbor thinks everything is fine aside from a small chore to do sometime in the next year meanwhile you're researching property boundary lines and tree species.
How large was the tree when planted? Hopefully it was a sapling - cheap! Maybe the current tree is removed and moved over 6 feet.
To be honest, the complaints about it being on the property line and near power lines leave me cold. It was something I hated about nyc - you can be legally correct and suck the life out of a place. Large, stateful trees eventually bring dignity to a landscape like nothing else.
Your neighbors are trying to do something good. Support them in that even if it means taking a couple of steps back right now.
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - Racer X - 04-18-2022
"Large, stateful trees eventually bring dignity to a landscape like nothing else."
many neighborhoods in Seattle, like Madrona, Queen Anne and Ravenna have roadways and sidewalks destroyed by such trees. I'm talking 6"+ of concrete heaving from the roots, that can rip out a vehicles oil pan, or cause the elderly to trip and fall.. The city finds it cheaper to pay for the auto repairs, than to maintain the trees and the concrete.
It only works if you plant the right kind of trees, in the right places, and guarantee that they get the proper maintenance. That doesn't happen very often.
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - mattkime - 04-18-2022
Are trees in Seattle different? Never saw that in the Midwest or northeast. Still, I don’t think any of these is the locality of the original poster.
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - Racer X - 04-18-2022
I'm just pointing out what happens when people don't think beyond themselves. Not thinking about how tall a tree will grow, for example. I may move in a decade, but 30 years later, it might get to be a 40' tall tree, and someone needs to deal with it after I have gone.
As an example of this, we just took out a tree planted by the original owner of the house. It was planted under the power line for the house. Power line 30 feet up, but under it, a tree that typically grows to 40 feet or so when fully mature. Bad planning with little forethought. But he moved before it got that tall. The power line for the house ended up running through the branches of the tree.
We have plans to sculpt that part of the yard, and plant trees that typically grow to 15-18 feet, and their canopy @10 feet wide, so they won't overhang the neighbors yard, and cause them problems.
The city even has a list of trees that are suitable for our climate, with typical dimensions at maturity to help people plant wisely. Trees with roots that grow deep, not shallow and running horizontally. Not a requirement, just smart choices. All of this came about because of the damage trees planted well before WW II have caused to the city's roads and sidewalks.
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - davec - 04-18-2022
bfd wrote:
Like pines, oak trees should only be trimmed during the late fall and winter. Trimming oak trees after that risks fungal diseases like oak wilt. Once that sap starts running heavily, trimming is not at all recommended for either pines or oaks. Sorry for the bad news, but check with a certified arborist. They'll likely tell you exactly the same thing ± a few weeks...
The idea that your neighbor will get around to it mañana doesn't bode well for the health of the tree. And that would be even worse for your situation.
Good luck…
bfd is correct about the correct time to prune an oak tree and about oak wilt. Oak wilt can damage or kill an oak tree.
Good Luck
Dave
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - macphanatic - 04-18-2022
In the Northeast, survey markers tend to be steel spikes or rebar driven into the ground a few inches below the surface. If you use a metal detector, you may be able to locate the survey markers. If you can't find the markers, it would wise to have your property surveyed and proper markers set.
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - Sam3 - 04-18-2022
macphanatic wrote:
In the Northeast, survey markers tend to be steel spikes or rebar driven into the ground a few inches below the surface. If you use a metal detector, you may be able to locate the survey markers. If you can't find the markers, it would wise to have your property surveyed and proper markers set.
I think this should be the first step, have a survey done. That way it will be known where actually the property lines are. Up until that point, almost everything here is speculation.
Step two would be to read up on the local ordinances, find out what are the responsibilities of property owners regarding trees.
Then you can discuss with the neighbor trimming, not trimming,etc.
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - PeterB - 04-18-2022
Again, thanks for info guys. I think matt is correct that they are/were trying to do something good... it's just that where they planted it is a problem.
I actually realized that they probably got the tree (yes, it was planted as a sapling) from a local organization here that provides trees to residents free of charge, so as to try to improve the landscape and also mitigate flooding risk. When I went to this organization's website, it even showed me that they'd planted (and when) and ... interestingly, it showed that they had supposedly planted a Sweetbay Magnolia, in fact two of them. But when I tried to identify the tree using PlantSnap, it was saying that it's an oak. (Likely a Shumard's oak or Cherrybark oak, is what it was telling me.)
Re: Property line/tree neighbor question - Robert M - 04-18-2022
PeterB,
Sam is spot-on. FWIW, you should save the information you got from the organizations web site. It may prove handy in the future, especially if you and your neighbors can't come to an agreement about what to do about the tree.
Robert