Rules? My tree's branches extend into my neighbor's backyard ... can he prune without my permission?

We have a 50ft maple in our backyard.  Since the tree is planted in the corner of our backyard, the tree canopy extends into the backyards of our three neighbors.  One of our neighbors wants to do some reduction pruning on the branches that extend into his backyard. Questions: 1) Does my neighbor need my written or verbal authorization to prune the tree? 2) My neighbor is considering removing some VERY large branches from our tree (at least 2 ft in diameter).  If this ends up killing the tree, is he liable for the expense of digging up and carting away our tree?  3) Overall, what are the rules pertaining to trees that extend into neighbor’s yards?

pepinohill

in Real Estate - Rentals 12 years and 5 months ago

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Arkady | 12 years and 5 months ago

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I wanted to dramatically trim a magnolia that shades my back yard but the woman who ‘owns’ the tree didn’t want it pruned.  Four neighbors & I chipped in for the job & I got 5 estimates.  Four of the companies refused to do some of the trimming we wanted because it would have killed the tree.  One would do anything we asked.  We went w/ one of the more responsible ones.  A good arborist is interested in the viability of his work.

Bklnite | 12 years and 5 months ago

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http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/new-york-laws-neighbor-property-disputes-65246.html http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/trees-neighbors-faq-29134.html

pepinohill | 12 years and 5 months ago

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I hired Urban Arborists last year to do reduction pruning — I paid the full cost as I didn’t know any better – should have shared the cost with my neighbors as suggested.  Urban Arborists did an amazing job, and I’ll definitely use them again.  Funny enough, the neighbor that wants to do the pruning now did not let Urban Arborists prune his part of the tree last year because he liked the privacy afforded by the extra branches.  Of course, Hurricane Sandy dropped one large branch in his yard so now he’s worried the tree is too big and needs to be pruned.   I don’t want to help pay for pruning this year, because I just did it last year and my neighbor opted out … but again, I don’t want my tree butchered either.     So does anyone know where the ‘rules’ regarding backyards are posted?  Would love to take a closer look.

Bklnite | 12 years and 5 months ago

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Your neighber is within his rights to prune branches over his property without your authorization. If the tree dies, you could sue for damages if there was negligence in how the pruning was done – I doubt you’d prevail, and you’d have an ugly situation with the neighbors. You don’t have to pay for pruning that your neighbor wants done on his property, but the best thing is along the lines of what silvermax said: talk to the neighbors and see if you can work it out to prune the tree so everyone is satisfied with the end result & shares the cost. If you’re involved with paying for the job, you can make sure it gets done right, rather than the neighbor hiring the cheapest guys to buctcher the branches over his property. Try Urban Arborists (718) 522-0612 http://urbanarb.com/

Silvermax | 12 years and 5 months ago

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A suggestion based on personal experience: talk to both neighbors in advance, get a professional arborist in to prune the tree properly, and ask if they will contribute to the cost. The professional will prune the whole tree — not just one side — bringing light and air in, which is probably what your neighbor is seeking, and it will be good for the health of the tree.

Bond | 12 years and 5 months ago

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If it extends over his property line, he can prune it. You may have a case if he killed the tree, but you would have to prove that it was in fact the pruning that killed the tree, which is hard to prove.