I received a letter from a tree expert, an Arboriculture Pathologist.  The letter states that a tree in our municipality has included bark in several locations, the worst being at the base, which could cause splitting of the tree onto the neighboring house.  The tree is approximately 100 feet high and the weight of the concerned section is approximately 60 – 70 tons.  The tree expert is saying that the tree should be removed, at least the concerned section.

 

The tree is located on private property.  The owner of the adjacent property is the one who hired the tree expert.  He is asking me to intervene on behalf of the Town, as Code Enforcement Officer, and force the tree owner to react by having the tree taken down due to the supposed danger of the tree.

 

Have any of you had situations like this one.  Isn’t this a civil issue?  Please send me your thoughts and any cases you where you have been involved.     

Inspections and right of entry

If you have been an inspector for any amount of time, you may have come across the house or property with "no trespassing" signs all over the place. It also happens to be the place that you received a complaint about something going on in the rear yard that may be a violation. The violation is not visible from public view because there is a fence. The complaint was anonymous, so we cannot assume cooperation from the neighboring properties.

What is your course of action?