What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? wisconsin
We own a small commercial building that is surrounded on 2 sides by residential homes. Our lot was previously overgrown with Box Elder trees (junk trees on the Wisconsin DNR list as undesirable invasive species). We have spent the last 3 years cleaning up tons of junk and garbage, and cutting down these junk trees. On one side, the neighbors have a privacy fence, and in front of it (on our side) is a line of box elder trees that we've always assumed were ours. I measured across the front of our property, and measurements came out that took us safely behind the trees. Last year we cut down several dead trees in that same line, no one ever said anything. When I asked why they didn't, the neighbor told me he hadn't said anything because the trees had "needed" to be cut down anyway. This spring, several more were dead, and the trees were severely infested with box elder bugs. We cut down the remainder of the trees, with the intention of installing a much more aesthetically pleasing and effective privacy screen and natural landscape buffer of arborvitae. The neighbors have come alive now, and are furious, and threatening legal action, and demand we reimburse them huge sums of money. They will not allow us to remove the stumps until we write them a check in full. We've now ordered a boundary survey, it looks like some of the trees may indeed either be on the boundary line, or slightly over into their yard. It is impossible to speak to them, they are intimidating, bullying people. Even though their letter says they want money to replace their "loss of privacy and noise barrier" they won't allow us to grind out the stumps in order to do just that. All they want is a big fat check for what in reality was dead, diseased, bug infested junk trees. Where do we stand here? We never dreamed these weren't 100% our property when we cut these down!
We own a small commercial building that is surrounded on 2 sides by residential homes. Our lot was previously overgrown with Box Elder trees (junk trees on the Wisconsin DNR list as undesirable invasive species). We have spent the last 3 years cleaning up tons of junk and garbage, and cutting down these junk trees. On one side, the neighbors have a privacy fence, and in front of it (on our side) is a line of box elder trees that we've always assumed were ours. I measured across the front of our property, and measurements came out that took us safely behind the trees. Last year we cut down several dead trees in that same line, no one ever said anything. When I asked why they didn't, the neighbor told me he hadn't said anything because the trees had "needed" to be cut down anyway. This spring, several more were dead, and the trees were severely infested with box elder bugs. We cut down the remainder of the trees, with the intention of installing a much more aesthetically pleasing and effective privacy screen and natural landscape buffer of arborvitae. The neighbors have come alive now, and are furious, and threatening legal action, and demand we reimburse them huge sums of money. They will not allow us to remove the stumps until we write them a check in full. We've now ordered a boundary survey, it looks like some of the trees may indeed either be on the boundary line, or slightly over into their yard. It is impossible to speak to them, they are intimidating, bullying people. Even though their letter says they want money to replace their "loss of privacy and noise barrier" they won't allow us to grind out the stumps in order to do just that. All they want is a big fat check for what in reality was dead, diseased, bug infested junk trees. Where do we stand here? We never dreamed these weren't 100% our property when we cut these down!
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