In one Kentucky community, landowners turned to Reddit for advice after trespassers cut down 30 mature trees on people’s property, causing significant losses.
On the r/treelaw subreddit, a landowner explained that his neighbor had cut trees beyond his property line and shared a series of photos documenting the damage. Considering the diameters of the trees in the images, many of them could have been decades, if not hundreds of years old.
Photo credit: Reddit Photo credit: Reddit
“I don’t know what to do or who to contact,” said the bewildered landowner.
Fortunately, on the r/treelaw forum, where nature lovers discuss legal issues related to trees without issuing formal legal advice, they have been generous with their time. Most believed the OP had a strong case and urged them to take action.
“Do record the area, preferably with old photos or Google Earth images,” one person suggested. “Report trespassing, theft, property damage to the police, sheriff, state police, DNR, illegal logging, etc. to the Forest Service.”
Several commenters suggested that OP should seek formal legal advice before contacting the neighbor, with one person writing, “Your damage is immeasurable.”
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In fact, many jurisdictions have laws that penalize people or organizations that damage or destroy trees on someone else’s property. Therefore, hiring a legal expert can be a strong deterrent against future neighbor trespass problems, especially if the court orders large financial damages, as in the case of one person in New Jersey. Possibly.
OP did not reveal the county they live in. However, the Bluegrass State has safeguards in place as the Kentucky Energy and Environment Cabinet reports that forest owners continue to have problems with timber theft. In addition to being heartbreaking for property owners, tree destruction can impact economic prosperity and ecosystem health.
“Please keep us updated,” one commenter urged. “I hope your neighbors pay more!”
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