Well, folks, I guess I have my answer. In a unanimous decision, I'm happily keeping the tree and I'm under no obligation, legally or otherwise, to contribute one dime to cut it down.
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Ethical question about a tree in my yard.
- Thread starter hbarcat
- Start date
I wouldn't cut down a healthy tree on principle, so there's no way in hell I'd cut one down that was planted in honour of my Dad's birth.
I'm in complete agreement with your lawyer.
As a concession though, I would look in to wetting the tree down, to stop the cotton floating too far from the tree (and collect it off the ground regularly), or better yet, if possible making a large gauze net / wrap to put around the tree when it's in bloom (open enough to allow photosynthesis, and water penetration, but still effective at catching the majority of the floaters).
Might require renting a cherry picker twice a year.
I'm in complete agreement with your lawyer.
As a concession though, I would look in to wetting the tree down, to stop the cotton floating too far from the tree (and collect it off the ground regularly), or better yet, if possible making a large gauze net / wrap to put around the tree when it's in bloom (open enough to allow photosynthesis, and water penetration, but still effective at catching the majority of the floaters).
Might require renting a cherry picker twice a year.
I know we're "post-pandemic" and all, but why not put a mask on the tree?
A qualified Arborist should be able to cheaply install some netting to restrict the spread of the annoying "Cotton Ballz".
It should cost WAY Less than removal.
That way, everybody is HAPPY.
You're Welcome.
This...
A qualified Arborist should be able to cheaply install some netting to restrict the spread of the annoying "Cotton Ballz".
It should cost WAY Less than removal.
That way, everybody is HAPPY.
You're Welcome.
This...
Attachments
An 80-year-old cotton wood is a wee bit bigger than that. Netting a tree of that size would not be cheap.
Reminds me of Disney Hall! Eyesore supreme! Keep the tree, sell the cotton, muzzle the neighbors, and shred the mask! **
** Actually, I think Disney Hall is a pretty cool building inside and out, but when it was first completed, the neighbors in the apartment building across the street had to sue the owners to get them to put some sort of matte on the mirror panels because it was melting their apartments. But a wrapped tree isn't a pretty tree. Trees were born to be free! Running through the fields, chasing bees to pollinate!
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Yeah, that's the kind of thing I was referring to.
Obviously a bigger tree might require two people, or a cherry picker to install / remove.
Hanging some netting, no matter how big the tree, would be very easy and a cost-effective solution.
Wutevz...I don't have a dogwood (or a cottonwood) in this fight.
How DARE YOU!
You Orange County Hick!!!
Go back to your Mini-Malls and Nail Salons!
Sniff.....
I'll expand on my earlier thought, just to add some reinforcement on it: Your neighbors want to derive a tangible benefit of removing the tree, but they rejected the idea that they should contribute in any way toward the benefit they want to enjoy. They expect you to do that for them, simply to appease them.
Those are some craptastic "neighbors." You don't owe them anything.
Those are some craptastic "neighbors." You don't owe them anything.
Supposedly you can minimize the blooms to a degree.
"To reduce or eliminate the cottonwood fluff (seed dispersal) from cottonwood trees, spraying the tree with a growth regulator (like ethephon) or replacing the tree with a non-shedding variety are the best options. Applying a fruit eliminator (ethephon-based herbicide) can significantly reduce the amount of seeds produced. "
"To reduce or eliminate the cottonwood fluff (seed dispersal) from cottonwood trees, spraying the tree with a growth regulator (like ethephon) or replacing the tree with a non-shedding variety are the best options. Applying a fruit eliminator (ethephon-based herbicide) can significantly reduce the amount of seeds produced. "
Did AI write that?
"replacing the tree with a non-shedding variety" is an option for reducing seed dispersal? Interesting.
A few years back i paid 3k towards a 6k removal of 2 neighbors trees that were hanging over our roof. I talked to him and offered half, and he jumped on it. Win win for everyone.
I don't know how big this particular tree is, but the 80yr old Cottonwoods around my parts are WAY bigger than 2 people with a cherry picker can cover. I mean, 50+' tall and probably 40' diameter at the drip line. My wife and I can just barely get a couple of 15'-18' tall apple trees covered up by ourselves. The small-mesh netting we use is about 30' x 30' and takes a lot of effort to get up over the tree - especially if there's even a slight breeze.
How about installation by a trained eagle?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Your lawyer knows the law where you better than any of us.
I see no ethical reason to cut it down unless YOU want to.
I see no ethical reason to cut it down unless YOU want to.
You’re doing the right thing. The trunk is on your property, you have full control over what happens with the tree. If your neighbors want to offer you money to remove it you can consider their offer, short of that you have no obligation to remove it.
I have a similar situation with a white pine in my yard. It’s right next to the property line and my previous neighbor complained how hard it was to grow grass. I did nothing about it. My current neighbor in the same house likes the tree just fine. I’ve helped him out of the tree drops a branch in his yard, just to be neighborly, but the tree stays until it’s a hazard.
I have a similar situation with a white pine in my yard. It’s right next to the property line and my previous neighbor complained how hard it was to grow grass. I did nothing about it. My current neighbor in the same house likes the tree just fine. I’ve helped him out of the tree drops a branch in his yard, just to be neighborly, but the tree stays until it’s a hazard.
We did something similar, when a tree on the neighbor's property (right up against the line between us and them) started rotting out at the base, and leaning toward our house. The cost of removal, I reasoned with our neighbor, was way lower than the potential costs of us having to make serious repairs to our house, and/or the hit to the neighbor's insurance had it fallen on us. We both got peace of mind out of removing a hazard.
As I noted above: Anyone expecting to derive a benefit should give due consideration to making a contribution toward obtaining it. Never mind "legal," it's just plain considerate and oh yeah - neighborly. OP's "neighbors," it seems, were never taught that.
Let 'em eat cotton until they figure it out.
