"Frank" wrote in message
om...
Does anyone have any first-hand experience in knowing the chances of
an Aristocrat Flowering Pear Tree causing damage to a home's
foundation?


Has anyone ever had any success in taking a neighbor to court for
intentionally planting a tree that they know will encroach on your
land and will likely damage your propery over time?

In some municipalities there are "spite laws" which restrict the intentional
planting of trees to cause problems - generally blocking views - but it is a
random application and even when present, difficult if not impossible to
prove. Otherwise, there are no restrictions (other than possible
neighborhood covenants) as to what to plant and where on one's property
trees can be located. If no covenants exist and it is planted 5 feet away
from the property line, then you are SOL.

However, an 'Aristocrat' pear planted 17 feet away from your foundation is
unlikely to cause any problems, expansive soil or not. This tree simply does
not have a destructive or particularly surface-oriented root system.

It sounds like you have issues well beyond the selection and placement of
your neighbor's tree. Suggest you might want to consult a therapist rather
than an arborist or attorney. OTOH, constructing that reinforced concrete
below grade wall might be an excellent way of working off some of that
latent hostility.

pam - gardengal

On Mon, 19 Jul 2004 15:59:29 GMT, wrote:

On 19 Jul 2004 08:01:02 -0700, (Frank)
wrote:

Is this caused by the roots taking moisture out of the soil?

Yes.
But the tree is also providing shade, thereby reducing the amount of
evapration directly from the soil, so the likely net effect is zero.

Check this link for a discussion of the issue from a decidedly
tree-friendly engineer:
http://users.rcn.com/bobw.enteract/UKSubsidence2.2.html

Since you are watering the soil to avoid too much drying out under the
foundation, you probably do not have to worry about this.

Keith Babberney
ISA Certified Arborist
For more info about the International Society of Arboriculture, please visit http://www.isa-arbor.com/home.asp.
For consumer info about tree care, visit http://www.treesaregood.com/

(Frank) wrote in
om:

Does anyone have any first-hand experience in knowing the chances of
an Aristocrat Flowering Pear Tree causing damage to a home's
foundation?

I have a neighbor who decided to plant an Aristocrat Flowering Pear
Tree about 5 feet from our property line and about 17 feet from my
foundation in highly expansive clay soil that is watered almost year
round: in Califorina where we go long spells without rain. I have
water lines and sprinkler lines within feet of that tree, and a water
line about seven feet from it.


These trees are very susceptible to fire blight (Erwinia amylovora). You
could claim you are an amateur biologist experimenting with this
bacterium and setup your culture generators next to the tree (on your
property). Then make the equipment have a little "accident" and release
all the pathogens on the tree. The chances of the tree recovering are
actually quite slim if you do it right.

Here is another idea but will take extraordinary acting ability. Start a
hobby as a chainsaw juggler and practice by the tree. Then pretend you
are having an epileptic seizure and saw the tree down. The trick is to
tell the police you were just doing routine practice and suddenly saw
sparks and flashes. Then the next thing you remember is you were laying
on the ground and the tree was sawed down. I used this technique to beat
my neighbor to a pulp a few years ago. I pretended to have an epileptic
seizure and started to pummel his face after I caught him looking at my
daughter in an un-christian way at a 4th of July BBQ I threw for everyone
on the block.

I know this advice is very valuable - no charge pal !