On 8/5/2013 6:11 PM, Gus wrote:
"Lisa T" wrote in message
...

My neighbour has a huge oak tree literally on my boundary fence. It's so
massive that it takes all light from the middle section of my garden.
The trees on my side (an apple and rowan tree) are bending, trying to
look for light. My neighbour has let us cut the branches overhanging our
property before. I have asked if we can take it down but she says she
wants to keep it for 'shade' on her side. As a compromise, we agreed we
could take the height down to the levels of the trees next to it, and
leave the branches on her side as they are. I've consulted a tree
surgeon who says he can make a good job of trying to make a compromise
(without, in his words, "it looking like a helicopter has crashed into
it"). My neighbour is now starting to get difficult and saying she
"doesn't want a lot taking off" and that she doesn't want it "lop
sided". When we had the overhanging branches taken off a couple of years
back (with her blessing), she never said a word. Now she's saying he
"cut off half the tree and didn't shape it". But, it didn't change the
aspect on her side at all, just stopped the branches completely
overshadowing our side. It it right that we have absolutely no right to
take some of this tree down when it takes our light so badly? I'd never
want to make it look ugly or odd, or to upset my neighbour. But frankly,
I can't see how we can find a compromise if she won't allow us to cut
the branches that overhang our property. It feels grossly unfair. This
tree is about 30 feet high...

My understanding is anything that comes over into your property is fair
game for you to do with what you want. (Check with you City/County
government to make certain.) I had a neighbors' tree hanging over my
driveway and had a couple of their dead branches cut before they fell on
someone or a car in the driveway. As a courtesy, I did tell them before
hand. They actually seemed glad it was being done... They ended up
cutting down the tree the following year since it was dying.

The power company here comes by and butchers trees so they are not
hanging over power lines. They literally cut a big V in some, and there
are some where half the tree is just gone. Looks terrible. They claim
that you can't shape a tree, it is actually unhealthy for it and have to
cut the way they do. They give no notice to property owners, just show
up one day and hack off limbs and then leave.



UK address. Don't know what their rules are.
Thirty feet is not a huge tree but oaks can get huge and if lots are
small her neighbor could be the one in trouble years from now.