Source: BroBible
Summary
A woman from Oklahoma claims her neighbors cut down 20 trees and bushes on her property to build a “friendly fence”. The neighbors had previously discussed replacing their chain link fence with a wooden fence, but did not obtain permission to cut down the trees. The woman is now suing her neighbors, citing Oklahoma’s timber-damage statute, which could result in significant compensation. The statute allows for damages of three to ten times the value of the loss, which could range from hundreds to thousands of dollars per tree.
Our Reading
The habit of building a “friendly fence” gets a new name: “tree law”.
A neighbor’s attempt to build a fence turns into a costly mistake. The internet says the woman is entitled to a lot of money. Tree law is an area where there are a lot more rules—and a lot higher punishments—than one might expect. The woman’s trees were decades old, and she wants repayment for the trees, not just the cost of replacement. The neighbor’s decision to continue cutting into the trees for no good reason led to a lawsuit.
Tree law: where a “friendly fence” can cost you thousands.
Author: Evan Null
