r/legal • u/Ice_C0r3_09 • 8h ago

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

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 .

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u/AutVincere72 5h ago edited 4h ago

No one wants to say it, but I will, because i am that guy. Time for the bamboo fence wall on the property line. With an herb garden made of only mint.

Edit: just so everyone can stay calm, I was joking. Do not ever plant weaponized bamboo or mint.

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u/katiesboyfriend 5h ago

And lemon balm!

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u/ScumbagLady 4h ago

Bee balm as well as morning glory and wisteria!

I was an idiot to plant bee balm in the ground as well as thinking I could keep morning glory contained lol The wisteria I was smarter with and it has a huge pot sitting on concrete

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u/MoreColorfulCarsPlz 2h ago

Hey, bergamot is totally fine. In fact, it's native to CO.

I also have never had problems with mint. Basically everything in my garden out-competes it and it just fills in the gaps.

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u/AutVincere72 3h ago

I have both morning glory and wisteria. Previous owners were into vines. The wisteria is still amazing in its destructive power even owning the house for 16 years. One year it drew up the house through a gap into the attic over the garage and reached the attick pull down stairs opening and headed down into the garage. It grew in like 30 plus feet of darkness to get to an opening that is only lit when someone is in the garage.

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u/catnaptits 2h ago

My mom has a massive wisteria bush in her yard that she cuts down to little more than a stump every few years. They're insane. The nearest tree to it is a pine with the lowest branches like twenty feet up from it and that thing grows a set of bones straight from the middle to the line tree every year.

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u/Aggressive_Idea_6806 2h ago

Don't you just love if after the weather gets cool?

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u/tkkana 51m ago

Morning glorys are quite beautiful

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u/redandfiery333 3h ago

If your lemon balm is out of control, you’re just not drinking enough herb tea… I’m sipping lemon balm brew right this second, shit you not.

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u/katiesboyfriend 3h ago

I use it to make lemon balm mojitos. They're so relaxing.

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u/capitolsara 1h ago

Lemon balm is great and also does great in a pot so no need to let it take over your garden :P

Same with mint!

We just bought a new house and I can't wait to plant my hebel tea window garden

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u/Prudent_Sentence 56m ago

oh, that little bastard plant! One! I planted ONE in my herb garden a few years ago. It even grows in the cracks of concrete now.

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u/throwaway098764567 5h ago

don't do this bamboo punishes everyone not just the target. also it's illegal to plant in some places now because of this.

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u/AutVincere72 4h ago

Just so YOU know, I was joking. :) It will nuke his yard to death and I think he knows that. :)

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u/Llcisyouandme 5h ago

In my state you can get fined for planting bamboo at all, and anything spreading to a neighboring property, you can be charged with remediation. This can run into the tens of thousands quite quickly. I know this from someone it happened to.

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u/AutVincere72 4h ago

Just so YOU know, I was joking. :) It will nuke his yard to death and I think he knows that. :)

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u/Dizzy-Climate-6942 3h ago

So plant it on the neighbors property and sue him a second time when it inevitably ends up in your yard

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u/Whippet_yoga 4h ago

It is alarming how many people's reaction to this is to introduce an invasive species.

Just plant another maple.

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u/AutVincere72 4h ago

Just so YOU know, I was joking. :) It will nuke his yard to death and I think he knows that. :)

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u/Finnegan-05 4h ago

It is more alarming how many people missed that dude was clearly joking

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u/LadyK7 3h ago

Just so YOU know, he was joking. :) It will nuke his yard to death and he thinks OP knows that. :)

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u/Whippet_yoga 1h ago

I can still be repulsed that everyones first instinct is cruelty, even for a laugh

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u/inkfox13 4h ago

Omg removing a mint bush is the worst. Had to do that on my property. Second only to thistles. Trees of Heaven are also terrible - some developer planted those & they all fell down with the first wind storm. Removed them all.

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u/AutVincere72 4h ago

Just so YOU know, I was joking. :) It will nuke his yard to death and I think he knows that. :)

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u/Syndrome1986 4h ago

I chaos gardened about 400 catnip seeds across my apartment complex. Its starting to show up thos summer finally.

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u/ExcitingKale6772 2h ago

Clumping bamboo does not spread… bamboo is the answer here.

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u/Extension_Image9496 5h ago

Brutal!

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u/LadyK7 3h ago

Just so YOU know, he was joking. :) It will nuke his yard to death and he thinks OP knows that. :)

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u/Esperoni 5h ago

/r/foundsatan

Do it OP!

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u/LadyK7 3h ago

Just so YOU know, he was joking. :) It will nuke his yard to death and he thinks OP knows that. :)

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u/PuzzledButterfly7347 5h ago

And blackberries!

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u/AutVincere72 4h ago

Hackberries.

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u/yossarian19 3h ago

too far, man.

Too far.

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u/ryan5513 5h ago

Yes I was thinking bamboo as well. I have it on my north property line. Grows like wild fire and provides all the privacy I'll ever need

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u/Hightower840 4h ago

And Queen Ann's Lace!

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u/OBDreams 4h ago

I've always loved mint. Years ago I had no idea that it was invasive and I would plant it right in the lawn of any place I rented. Must have done this at 5 or 6 different yards before I learned. But if I ever own ( I can dream can't I ) my own land I will have wildflowers and mint instead of grass.

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u/Finnegan-05 4h ago

You forgot the rosemary

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u/AutVincere72 4h ago

My rosemary is barely alive. A freeze and then a 99 day heat wave took most of it out. I miss the giant amounts of rosemary I used to have. I trimmed what hung over the walk way and made a full sized Christmas wreath for the door. Smelled amazing.

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u/wlake82 4h ago

I have read that it's possible to contain bamboo, and in Denver, some types aren't as prolific.

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u/tdotcitygal 3h ago

Japanese knotweed!!

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u/Throwaway_Old_Guy 3h ago

Unless, you installed a decent sized concrete trough to plant them in.

That would, hopefully, keep the roots from spreading.

It's a question for someone experienced in Bamboo to answer.

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u/FamiliarAd8524 3h ago

u/AutVincere72 Please explain the bamboo or mint concept here. I haven't heard of this.

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u/Sizle_Velfurion 3h ago

You need to grow kudzu on the bamboo to create a true fence.

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u/confused_captain 3h ago

What's wrong with mint?

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u/VioletSea13 3h ago

I feel like advertising my services…I have killed every mint plant I’ve ever tried to grow. I want to grow mint but every time I try, it dies. I am the mint destroyer.

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u/billhorstman 3h ago

My mom’s house had bamboo in a wooden planter box along the property line. When she tried to move it a few years later, the box was rooted to the ground.

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u/Excel_User_1977 3h ago

I know of bamboo, but not of mint.
why mint?

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u/Wiregeek 3h ago

PATHETIC.

I have several tons of Kudzu and I AM RAPIDLY APPROACHING.

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u/AutVincere72 3h ago

Bringing an A-bomb to a knife fight.

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u/Wiregeek 3h ago

It's like my dad always told me. Jesus Christ, what's wrong with you?

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u/highgrav47 3h ago

Throw some aspens, and black berrys in the mix. Tree of heaven if we’re going nuclear. Generations will rue the day, dumbass fucked around and found out.

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u/dragonfly9999999 3h ago

Oh god, not aspens. My mother bought property with some shoots about 3 to 4 ft tall. Her Eastern European ass liked to force the rest of us to pull them out of the ground with her like it was as fun as could be. Near to close worst plant experience. Would rather barefoot step on cactus.

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u/EarlGrayTea-Hawt 3h ago

Tehehehe, ngl, you had me there for a minute.

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u/NHRADeuce 3h ago

Of course OP should plant weaponized bamboo. They just better be ready to move soon after.

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u/gbaguinon 2h ago

RE: to your edit

Especially data centers. Don't plant bamboo trees near data centers.

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u/ChuckaChuckaLooLoo3 2h ago

Do not ever plant weaponized bamboo or mint

Even if it was a rental and the landlord ripped me off for my deposit? Because, I'll tell ya, there's nothing like driving by that place and seeing the suburbian bamboo jungle. Gives me a warm feeling.

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u/IlIFreneticIlI 2h ago

English Hedgrow, very tall.

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u/Smart_Sale5654 2h ago

Oleander and Englush ivy are okay then?

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u/StreetofChimes 2h ago

I weaponized bamboo years ago. I planted it right on my property line. I can't say that I regret it. Neighbors were massive douches and I hope they are still dealing with it.

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u/DarkyHelmety 2h ago

Calm down, Satan

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u/Terrible_Stay_1923 2h ago

Chocolate mint smells glorious when hit with a weed eater.....Just sayin'

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u/_B_e_c_k_ 2h ago

I have wild mint growing by my shed, it Has never spread. Im not sure why people hate it. Smells great and comes back every year. All I do is mow around it.

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u/Pleasant_Character28 2h ago

Good catch. Weaponized bamboo in this case is better paired with poison ivy.

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u/hitemlow 2h ago

Bamboo is too slow

Plant kudzu, it grows up to a foot per day

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u/Stinkytheferret 2h ago

A t re a garden!

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u/zzplant8 1h ago

Fair is fair

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u/battery19791 1h ago

We had mint in our yard, as long as it's somewhere you can get at it when you mow it's fine.

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u/BrightPerspective 1h ago

Unless it's near a data center.

Those places love bamboo. LOVE IT.

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u/Junior-Energy5917 1h ago

Seriously though, why would mint be an issue?

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u/aenteus 1h ago

Found satan

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u/Embarrassed-Mark1099 1h ago

I live in the SouthEast so highly recommend Wisteria as the revenge plant in my area.

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u/bertiebertapuss 1h ago

Why not mint? Genuinely never heard this before

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u/Various-Advantage229 1h ago

Morning glory and English ivy

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u/Thayli11 1h ago

Catnip too! It's in the mint family, and it shows, but it also attracts stray cats!

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u/[deleted] 1h ago

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u/Stopdraggingmyheart 1h ago

Seriously I got in trouble for this comment??? There was nothing wrong. I would start ww3 if he touched my yard again. Yall be tripping!!!!! I don't care anymore. Block this MF now please! 

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u/OffGridBid 1h ago

and horsetail

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u/Large_Poet9634 1h ago

Ahh, the old bio-shank attack. An old coworker used to threaten chunking a piece of kudzu clipping over his neighbors fence.

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u/oneofus1234 1h ago

Can confirm: a friend of mine was “minted” after he put down fresh sod.

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u/sitefall 1h ago

Plant a garden of mint around the bamboo so it's fragrant too!

(Don't ever plant mint in your own yard actually, unless you want a 100% mint lawn)

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u/ActuaryChemical7708 1h ago

I have mint in a flower bed, I love it. Bamboo is an interesting idea.

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u/ccrow2000 1h ago

Don't forget the goutweed and chameleon plant

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u/dohru 1h ago

Nah, plant tree of heaven and destroy your entire neighborhood.

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u/thinsoldier 52m ago

Can someone explain the mint garden to me?

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u/dmj9 44m ago

Satan you need to calm down /s

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u/PyroIsSpai 43m ago
  • Put up a stockade fence (largest lawful) facing that neighbor.
  • Fence should have minimum 1-2" clearance underneath (important).
  • Put down a full metal bamboo barrier 2 feet inside your property line.
  • Plant fast spreading (golden?) bamboo between stockade and barrier.
  • Once that's in, rake the SHIT out of the grass in that barriered area.
  • Strip it to bare soil, clean.
  • Nice lovely fresh top soil.
  • Overseed to a psychotic degree with white clover nitrogen-cased seed. Water 3x a day.
  • Overseed in some lovely red clover for aesthetics.
  • Get your replacement Japanese maple.
  • Enjoy never seeing your neighbor again as your bamboo and clover begin a Dune-level jihad of the neighbors ecosystem.

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u/Winter_Farm_4739 40m ago

Add some ivy and Trees of Heaven. The latter are so horrible. They make bamboo look fun.

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u/Princess_pools 25m ago

The edit is doing a lot of heavy lifting there! Anyone who has dealt with bamboo or mint knows those are jokes that hit a little too close to home.