Forum Archive

There’s an enormous, dying ailanthus (“weed tree”) growing a couple of doors down from me. It has dropped two giant limbs on my yard in the last few years, mashing fences and plants. What I’m now really afraid of is that the next branch may mash me, or worse, my 18-month-old daughter.

The tree is on the property line between my next door neighbor (who also wants it down) and the back of a commercial property facing on the avenue. As far as I can tell, it’s on the commercial side, but we’re on a hill, and it’s literally growing out of the retaining wall of my neighbor’s property (on the other side of her fence).

I mention all this because my neighbor, who is quite elderly and fairly decrepit, claims she sued the owner of the commercial property a number of years ago to remove the tree, but lost. He claimed it was her tree.

At this point, I just want the thing taken down. It really is quite dangerous. I know the city won’t intervene and do it, it’s the owner’s responsibility. But I’ve got a couple of questions, and wondered if anyone knows the answers.

1. How do I find out if there was in fact a case, and who won?
2. Is there any way to lodge my complaint about the tree legally, so that if something happens, I’m on record?
3. Does that even matter?

I’m even willing to pay for part of this to get it done, but if it’s the commercial landlord’s tree, he should obviously bear the burden of it. If not, I’ll hit up my neighbor and see if we can split the cost. Urgh.

thanks.