100-foot tall tree pitting Puyallup neighbors against each other
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PUYALLUP, Wash. -- A 100-foot tall tree sparked a battle between Puyallup neighbors, and now lawyers have been brought in help get to the bottom of the problem.
There's no shortage of trees in Puyallup, but one tree in particular is straining a 12-year relationship between neighbors.
When Blake LaLonde moved into his home a dozen years ago, he loved the trees in the neighborhood and his yard. But a very tall maple tree on his land has become a concern for his next-door neighbors.
"They sent us a formal letter in the mail, and they indicated the tree has caused problems for them and they want it removed," LaLonde said.
The towering tree has grown so wide that it actually broke a fence. LaLonde's neighbors asked him to take it down, but that's not something he wants to do.
"Some of it is principal -- having somebody tell you what you can do on your property -- and another is our love of just the trees," he said.
Neighbors Marilyn and Joe Quinn say they were asking an old friend to take care of something that affects them.
"I hoped we could handle this in a friendly way. Those were my exact words," Marilyn said.
The Quinns say the roots are popping up in their yard, and they fear they will eventually damage their home.
"It's up to us to try to resolve this issue so we can go on with our lives," Joe said.
The couple hired a lawyer after Blake said he wouldn't remove the tree. The city refused to get involved because it's a civil dispute.
The dispute is nearing a resolution, but the Quinns will have to pay $3,700 to have the tree taken down.
The tree trouble could have gone through the court system, but neighbors on both sides of the issue agreed that route would have been too expensive.
There's no shortage of trees in Puyallup, but one tree in particular is straining a 12-year relationship between neighbors.
When Blake LaLonde moved into his home a dozen years ago, he loved the trees in the neighborhood and his yard. But a very tall maple tree on his land has become a concern for his next-door neighbors.
"They sent us a formal letter in the mail, and they indicated the tree has caused problems for them and they want it removed," LaLonde said.
The towering tree has grown so wide that it actually broke a fence. LaLonde's neighbors asked him to take it down, but that's not something he wants to do.
"Some of it is principal -- having somebody tell you what you can do on your property -- and another is our love of just the trees," he said.
Neighbors Marilyn and Joe Quinn say they were asking an old friend to take care of something that affects them.
"I hoped we could handle this in a friendly way. Those were my exact words," Marilyn said.
The Quinns say the roots are popping up in their yard, and they fear they will eventually damage their home.
"It's up to us to try to resolve this issue so we can go on with our lives," Joe said.
The couple hired a lawyer after Blake said he wouldn't remove the tree. The city refused to get involved because it's a civil dispute.
The dispute is nearing a resolution, but the Quinns will have to pay $3,700 to have the tree taken down.
The tree trouble could have gone through the court system, but neighbors on both sides of the issue agreed that route would have been too expensive.
Have a arborist check the tree out and see if it's healthy.   Do some trimming to make it more stable. But if that tree is healthy and was there before the neighbor's house was built, sorry but the tree should stay.  I'd even be hard pressed to have the tree cut down if it was there after the house was built but before the current owners moved in.   Â
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 @Murigen Precisely. If the tree is healthy, it should stay. Prune it appropriately, and if necessary prune the problem root(s) back with appropriate attention to balancing the canopy. But leave the tree in place.
KOMO, why do you have two separate stories on the main page and in the community page without linking them? The comments don't show up in the community pages, that's why no one comments on them. Maybe you'll catch on to that little nuance.
I had a similiar problem a couple of years ago.  I wanted to chop down a flowering cherry tree - non edible fruit, diseased and attracting rats, mice... my neighbors were incensed.  Nevermind that the tree was overgrown and draping over their roof. Other branches had bent their downspout and there is dark stains - mold - around their windows. They wanted the shade and "privacy". Had the tree become severely diseased and fallen in a windstorm, we would have been responsible for the damage. So, I opted to chop down. Mind you there are many other large, overgrown trees that are already providing shade for the majority of their house/yard.   Furthermore, ivy is so intertwined with those trees, that it won't be long before the ivy will compromise THOSE trees. Â
At my other house, an oak tree has grown more than 100 feet tall and the leaves fall and plug the storm drains EVERY SINGLE YEAR creating a "lake" that covers half the block. The owner refuses to chop it down and refuses to keep the storm drain (at end of her driveway) clear.  Tree lover or not, there is a limit.
According to our insurance agent a tree falling from natural causes is not your liability. Maybe it's a good consideration though to cut it down if you respect your neighbors and their property.
I would be inclined to clear the fence on my side. I would use a good systemic weed killer to keep the fence clear of weeds.Â
As a tree worker if you send a letter or notify someone that a tree is hazardous they or their insurance is now on the hook to pay for any damages from that tree. If you don't and their tree damages your property then your own insurance is going to have to cover it. Your insurance might go after the neighbor. That still is a big hassle and can't replace a lost life or something serious. Maples tend to rot in the middle when they get that big and break off at the trunk or branches. If the neighbor doesn't have the tree on his property starts cutting roots on his side the tree can fall over possibly and causing lot's of damage or injury. That's not something I would sleep well with even if the tree was a pain in the you know what. Typically neighbors can split the cost. Without looking at it $3700 seems like an inflated price..Â
We have a 80 ft cedar straddling out property line. We asked our elderly neighbor if he'd be willing to have it taken down. (sharing the cost, of course) He said he planted that tree 50 years ago and there's no way he was going to cut it down. Why he planted it right on the property line, I don't know. I understand the sentimental reasons he loves the tree, unfortunately it's not very healthy. Having to build our fence around it wasn't a huge deal, our biggest concern was it's stability. it's only about 15 feet from the back of our house. If it topples onto our house during a windstorm (which we get a lot of down here.) it would crush both of our children's rooms. If it gets any sicker, my husband and I may take legal action as well. We like our neighbor and value our good relationship, but not as much as we value our children's lives. I love trees, too. But sometimes they just get to big and hazardous for smaller lots.Â
 @LunchWithABear I am surprised that the cedar is sick. I have five acres full of all sorts of trees. I have had Spruce, Fir, Hemlock, Alder come down in storms. I have yet to have any of the cedars come down. They are pretty tough. But with that said, someone would actually pay to cut the tree down if it is of a good size. The cedar wood is sought after and worth some money. You might point that out to the neighbor...:-)
 @Grumpa Thanks for the tip.
 @LunchWithABear Good for you on that fence action...really shows what a good neighbor can be.  I agree however that if it becomes a hazard that the tree will need to come down.  Â
Split the cost of removal!
I am not a lawyer but that doesn't stop me from offering the following;Â
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Homeowner #1 is suffering damage from a tree that crosses his property line.Homeowner #2 does not wish to cut it down. It would seem to me that Homeowner #1 is well within his rights to remove roots and limbs that protrude on to his property. Am I wrong here?
 @Sid Vishess I'd agree and say Homeowner #1 can do whatever they feel to that part of the tree that is on their property.  Seems to me that the law would say they both have ownership as it's om both sides of the property line.  I think the law will side with Homeowner #1 if the tree is determined to be a hazard to their property.  I'd council Homeowners #1 at least offer to split the cost of removal. Â
Three words good neighbor... GO POUND SAND!
 @HawkEye Which neighbor?
My neighbor and I are probably going to go this route with our shared neighbor. He has a huge maple that's taking over and is actually touching my neighbor's roof. This "neighbor" is a piece of work and is the neighborhood 'you know what' who doesn't care about anything but himself. I haven't said a word to him in almost a decade because he's just so rude and gruff. When his tree damages one of our houses, then maybe he'll wake up and figure it out. Copernicus he is not.
A quick internet search suggests that the law may support you in trimming any portion that is over the property line. May want to research what the rules are where you are located.
And the small roots will be in both folks' drain lines and/or septic lines. People who can't visualize the diameter of tree roots can make huge problems for adjacent neighbors. Don't think folks are trying to tell prideful guy what to do with his property in the Big Global Sense. His tree and he are being selfish. I live next to his twin brother.
@Gnushound I think they are triplets. Their other brother lives behind me and just loves his bamboo.........the bamboo that grows under my fence and multiplies like rabbits. He loves his holly trees too......the ones that drop their leaves all over my backyard. The leaves NEVER decompose and my dogs feet are forever getting poked, and the points on the leaves go right through my gloves when I try to clean them up. Gets his panties in a bunch when we trim them up the fenceline too....
Seems like a 100 foot tall tree was there before either house probably. Â Unless it is diseased, get over it.
Looks like neither one of these homeowners could afford to have intrusive root problems fixed as it is very expensive. I'd agree with the homeowner who doesn't want the tree. Have a professional out to back up your statement then have them put it in writing, send it certified mail to the tree owner. The owner of the tree will be responsible for the damage. That's the law.
 @ObsidianOne I'd offer to help pay for it in some way or to some degree...that's the good neighbor policy.