Woman dismayed after elderly grandfather’s dispute with neighbor leads to felony charges: ‘Get a lawyer’

Disputes between neighbors are not uncommon. Arguments over property lines or irresponsible actions that affect the whole community can be a significant source of stress for homeowners. When those disagreements touch on climate-friendly home solutions, they can be even more frustrating.

The granddaughter of a man involved in one such dispute recently took to Reddit to ask the online community for advice.

On the r/treelaw subreddit, the original poster shared a picture of a small space between two wooden fences overgrown with weeds.

In the caption, the OP explained that their 82-year-old grandfather, who suffers from memory issues, is struggling with a neighbor. They wrote: “In this gap between fences lots of weeds and small trees started growing. … So he had a company come in, and they cut down 2 trees. … Cops show up and now he’s facing felony charges. Supposedly these wild growing weeds cost $3500 to replace.”

It is easy to find similar stories on the internet about neighbors struggling to find common ground. For instance, one Redditor said a neighbor’s bamboo was overgrowing onto their property and was impossible to eradicate. Another explained how they rewilded their yard. An unhappy neighbor installed a fence and destroyed a bunch of their plants in the process.

Usually, the best way to deal with a troublesome neighbor is communication. A simple conversation can often prevent a misunderstanding from escalating into something more. Educating yourself about critical climate issues is extremely important. With knowledge comes the ability to have tough climate conversations with family and friends (or even difficult neighbors) backed by facts. And, of course, taking local action in your community will ensure that rules and regulations designed to protect the environment are passed and enforced.

One commenter on the post offered some advice: “Get a lawyer.”

Another went even further: “Have an arborist come and inspect and write a letter and explain to the court that these are invasive white mulberries that have no real value.”

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