Yes, I am told that he does this to a lot of people. Blackmails us to pay the $4,000 with the threat that he will otherwise fine us the $22,000. Which, I was also told, he is quite successful in doing.
He told me
(1) my willow would NOT be a problem in a storm (When my neighbor's willow broke in half)
(2) He was not concerned that my willow was deforming the new river birch across from it,
(3) that the lack of sunlight on the rest of the garden/grass was of no consequence to him and
(4) That my willow would die...so I had to pay for it. But it is stronger than ever....
This seems brutal to me. Cities typically have small gardens which cannot take huge trees. Somehow, cutting the Rain Forests in South America is being balanced by my pruning my city tree??? Who came up with that logic??
Fabulous garden Ann, the brick paving is beautiful.
You did 'the right thing' in informing the authorities, and now they're being excessively nit-picky and punishing you. Clearly this is a ruse to raise funds from homeowners, presumably to make up budget shorfalls. Maybe in retrospect it would have been better to keep shtum... Anyway, I would resist their demands to pay the $4000, and if they become very persistent, get an arborist round to offer a professional opinion.
"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour".
I had an arborist who totally agreed with both you and me.... it's just another way for the city to tax people. If I didn't pay the $4,000 as quickly as possible, I risked being fined the $22,000. If I hadn't "volunteered" to pay the $4,000, in order to take it to court, I'd have to have the $22K fine and I was told no one ever won at court.... which is also a DC court......! The nation's capitol! Hate to think what the rest of the country does!!
I was walking in the alley and saw for the first time, the damage my uncontrolled willow had done, not only to my river birch- scooping out a "C" shape from the tree on the right, but also causing the branches of the neighbor's holly tree to become repressed, long and stringy white from lack of light.
Hopefully, both these trees will recover by the time my willow looks back to normal... and does not die!
As they threatened me with a $22,000.00 fine, I opted to pay the $4,000.00s for a permit to remove it. I have heard from other arborists that this is their pattern of behavior. Thank you for asking.
Posts
Interesting.
Yes, I am told that he does this to a lot of people. Blackmails us to pay the $4,000 with the threat that he will otherwise fine us the $22,000. Which, I was also told, he is quite successful in doing.
He told me
(1) my willow would NOT be a problem in a storm (When my neighbor's willow broke in half)
(2) He was not concerned that my willow was deforming the new river birch across from it,
(3) that the lack of sunlight on the rest of the garden/grass was of no consequence to him and
(4) That my willow would die...so I had to pay for it. But it is stronger than ever....
This seems brutal to me. Cities typically have small gardens which cannot take huge trees. Somehow, cutting the Rain Forests in South America is being balanced by my pruning my city tree??? Who came up with that logic??
AG
Thank you again, Dilly,
Maybe my whole story should be told in a gardening magazine!!
AG
Fabulous garden Ann, the brick paving is beautiful.
You did 'the right thing' in informing the authorities, and now they're being excessively nit-picky and punishing you. Clearly this is a ruse to raise funds from homeowners, presumably to make up budget shorfalls. Maybe in retrospect it would have been better to keep shtum... Anyway, I would resist their demands to pay the $4000, and if they become very persistent, get an arborist round to offer a professional opinion.
Dear WillDB,
I had an arborist who totally agreed with both you and me.... it's just another way for the city to tax people. If I didn't pay the $4,000 as quickly as possible, I risked being fined the $22,000. If I hadn't "volunteered" to pay the $4,000, in order to take it to court, I'd have to have the $22K fine and I was told no one ever won at court.... which is also a DC court......! The nation's capitol! Hate to think what the rest of the country does!!
AG
Here's another consideration: The neighbors!
I was walking in the alley and saw for the first time, the damage my uncontrolled willow had done, not only to my river birch- scooping out a "C" shape from the tree on the right, but also causing the branches of the neighbor's holly tree to become repressed, long and stringy white from lack of light.
Hopefully, both these trees will recover by the time my willow looks back to normal... and does not die!
Just the latest photo of the "dying" tree.
Are they still chasing you to pay their 'fine'?
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
As they threatened me with a $22,000.00 fine, I opted to pay the $4,000.00s for a permit to remove it. I have heard from other arborists that this is their pattern of behavior. Thank you for asking.