My neighbour approached me a couple of weeks ago to tell me that he planned to hire someone to cut off a very large branch of our tree that was rotting and overhanging his property. I guess I could have let him go ahead and do it, and save myself some money in the process, but I have this thing about taking responsibility. Besides, we have a tree growing against the foundation of the addition that has to be taken down and there are several stumps that were left when the hydro company removed trees that were interfering with the electrical wires. Total cost: $1200.
Taking care of a potential safety hazard
A tree is especially vulnerable to rot where the trunk splits off into a “Y” and this is where our problem lies. It is only a matter of time before the forces of nature cause that section of the tree to come down onto my neighbour’s cedar fence, my neighbour’s car, or, God forbid, my neighbour.
The law is pretty straight forward. My neighbour would be perfectly within his rights to cut any part of my tree that overhangs his property. However, the tree is on our property, so the right thing to do is for us to take care of it. The right thing is not always the most cost-effective thing, but for the sake of neighbourly relations, we should foot the bill for this work.
…While you’re at it….
We have a rather large tree that is growing right up against the foundation of the addition. With a bunch of branches hanging over the roof and hitting our new dormer, there is a lot of potential for damage to the foundation and the house. Besides, this tree will have to come down anyway, when we have the addition rebuilt.
We also have another tree that was recommended for removal for aesthetic reasons and for the health of the two trees nearby that are competing with it.
So long, stumps
The first summer we lived here, the hydro company came by and removed five trees lining our front yard that were interfering with the electrical lines. Last summer, I bought a hatchet and spent one afternoon chipping away at one of the stumps until it was a couple of inches below the surface of the lawn. One down, four to go. I figured I could remove a stump or two per year and after three years, they would all be gone.
This year, I considered renting a stump grinder to hasten the process, and reduce the number of blisters on my hand. But with a professional tree service already here, the cost of removing the stumps will be nominal. In fact, the cost isn’t much more than what I would spend on the rental.
Add a couple more trim jobs and we’re up to a four digit price tag
Can we afford it right now? No. Is it a priority right now? Heck no! What, with the heating and the flooring and trim upstairs, our credit cards will be getting quite a workout in the next couple of months and it will probably be years before we will even approach debt-free status. But if you consider the cost of liability should our tree damage our neighbour’s property, or the cost of repair if one of our other trees damage our property, or even the cost to repair the lawnmower if I run over one of the stumps, then this is money well-spent.