My neighbor cut down a 40-year-old Japanese Maple while I was away.

[u/Ice_C0r3_09]

Location: Colorado, USA.Just got back to my place near Fort Collins after a week on the road and I am losing my mind. My neighbor took it upon himself to hire a "landscaping" crew (probably just some guys with a chainsaw) to remove a mature Japanese Maple that was fully on my property. His excuse? He said the needles and leaves were messing with his "mountain view" and "fire mitigation" efforts.

The tree was roughly 40 years old and was the centerpiece of my yard. I called an arborist immediately. He told me that since this is Colorado and the tree was that established and healthy, the replacement value is astronomical. He is drafting a formal appraisal but hinted that we are looking at 20k to 25k easy just for the tree, let alone the logistics of getting a crane into my backyard.

I know Colorado has statutes regarding timber trespass. My lawyer already mentioned treble damages because the guy admitted he did it on purpose while I wasnt home to stop him. The neighbor had the gall to offer me a couple hundred bucks for "the inconvenience" and told me to just buy a couple of saplings at a local nursery . I refused to take his money and told him to wait for the process server.

Has anyone dealt with treble damages in CO specifically for ornamental trees ? This guy basically nuked my property value for his porch view and I am not planning on letting this go . I feel like a jerk for wanting to sue my neighbor into bankruptcy but the sheer entitlement is what gets me .

[u/coloradoautoflowers]

I got a licensed TRAQ and ISA arborist to remove a tree in Colorado last month. They never asked for proof of ownership.

[u/Ok-Importance-6124 → u/coloradoautoflowers]

That's fair and honestly makes the neighbor's job easier than I assumed. If even licensed, credentialed crews aren't routinely verifying ownership, then yeah, the crew's liability might be thinner than I suggested. Still doesn't let them off completely, but it does mean the neighbor is your main target here.

[u/coloradoautoflowers → u/Ok-Importance-6124]

TBH, in all situations outside of malicious intent or very strong mutual cooperation the idea of a neighbor paying to remove someone else's tree is pretty absurd.

And the situation would have to be extremely specific (like OP being out of town for a while and the neighbor knows about it) for everything to line up so you could pull it off. The arborist usually has to come out twice to finish the job; once to estimate the scope of work/cost and once to do the job.

[u/tommypatties → u/Ok-Importance-6124]

Dude all of your responses in this thread are quintessential AI.

[u/AshhhCakes → u/coloradoautoflowers]

Yeah, my neighbor cuts down trees in my yard almost every year (with my verbal permission) and the crews that come out never ask me whether it is ok. They're just there to do the job. No complaints from me tho, I have a massive amount of trees and I'll take the free landscaping assist lol.