I’ve been saying for years that trees on the property line are one of the worst ideas out there and Fiona helped make that point for me this year. While I don’t fall trees like these I know a guy who does very well. Plus I earned my gold star in dragging and hauling brush a many years ago now.
It’s time to talk about the reasons you should never plant large tree species on a property line, the legalities of when they fall and what to plant instead!
They don’t provide privacy
When you plant cute little trees on your property line they actually do a great job providing you with a living fence. Here’s the thing with trees though, they grow! Most people choose evergreens but this really does apply to all trees. For a few years they look great and do provide you with privacy from your neighbors.
As the trees grow what is left at eye level is just the trunk of the tree. As the tree gets taller the bottom branches become light starved and die off as well. All of that foliage is now up at the top out of view. Down on the ground you are left with an uninterrupted view of the neighbors and a few round tree trunks.
The fact that trees don’t end up providing the privacy you planted them for isn’t even close to the biggest problem with trees on the property line. You might end up with a 6 figure problem down in just a few years.
Diffusion of responsibility
The big problem with trees is that once they become a problem that needs dealing with, they belong to no one. A single large tree can easily cost $2000 or more to remove and that is if it is standing in a reasonably easy place to take down. I’ve even met a $4000 tree on occasion.
Problem trees on the line elicit comments from both homeowners like:
- He planted them
- I was here when the previous owner of his house planted them
- Buddy across the street says the other previous owner planted them
- They’re on his side
- He’s the one that trims them
- It’s going to hit his house, not mine
- Those just aren’t my trees
I am here to tell you that an expensive tree to remove on a property line literally belongs to no man until it falls down. A tree falling in the forest might not make a noise but if it falls on a house or car two insurance companies will get really noisy, really fast!
One owner will be determined to be at fault, they might even sue each other but it will go on one person’s insurance record or maybe even both. Often times people can trace the neighborhood feud back to this exact moment.
Not fully covered by insurance
We noticed in the aftermath of hurricane Fiona in the fall of 2022 is that insurance companies are getting mighty sketchy when it comes to downed trees.
We saw insurance companies cap the amount for tree removal at $1500-$2000 even if there were 6 of them on top of your house at the time. In certain situations like the one below literally no one will do the job for that amount. In this case it cost well into 5 figures just to remove those trees.
It sounds like a lot but… It was a huge mess! It required a 20 ton excavator to pull them up and load 8 dump trucks with wood. It required an expert cutter 5 days to remove the trees from the house and cut up the wood. It also required a mini excavator to load bush into 6 more dump truck loads and about another week of people hauling it. That’s three people and three pieces of heavy equipment for well over a week.
Insurance companies will cover the damage to your house or car but the bill to actually remove the trees might be mostly up to you
How to deal with ‘shared’ trees on the property line
Trees always cost less to cut where they stand because they make less of a mess. Cutters can fall the tree in the most convenient place, maybe even towards the trailer, and clean them up one at a time. When mother nature decides to fall them all, well she really makes one hell of a mess!
Go over and talk to your neighbor about the problem. Give them some time to think about it and in the meantime offer to get a few quotes on what the job will cost. Once you have the quotes it’s another opportunity to talk about the problem. Take a look at both properties and see what structures are in danger on both. If you both benefit then it’s fair that you both pay.
However if the trees really are on your side and you know you were the guy that planted them all those years ago, fess up and deal with your problem. Even if your neighbor isn’t contributing to removing them it’s still a good idea to get them on board. It might be easier (and cheaper) to fall some onto your neighbors property or load the truck from their side.
If you absolutely feel that a tree needs to go and you neighbor absolutely won’t cover some of the cost it’s still best to get rid of it on your own. Look for silver linings if he swears it’s your tree, even if you have doubts, then you can cut it down! Think of it this way, a really expensive tree is about $2000, an insurance deductible is about $1000 and sleeping well on windy nights is priceless!
If you found yourself peering out the window at a certain tree during the last storm it’s time to let it go. If nothing else you’ll sleep better during the next big storm. That’s how we came to take down this entire line of evergreens before they fell. It was a WAY less expensive job than the poplars that already fell.
Even in the worst case scenario above where trees no one owns fell on someone’s house the neighbors were great at working together which isn’t always the case. The neighbor with the damage put in a claim and pressured his company to pay as much as possible for removal. The other guy let us load from his side and took the lump of having a section of his lawn re-seeded due to damage from the equipment’s tracks. They agreed between themselves to share some of the excess cost and everyone walked away friends.
What to plant instead
What you’re really after when you plant trees on the property line is a beautiful living fence that provides you with a bit of privacy with out the cost and hassle of building a fence. I love that idea but trees aren’t the way to accomplish that.
Fun fact municipalities limit the hight of fences you can build but there is no height restriction on shrubs. In HRM you can build a 6.5 foot fence and apply for a special permit to raise it to 8 foot later on. I can recommend a grass that will grow to over 10 ft in less than two years if you never want to see your neighbor again!
What I’m really saying is that planting a hedge of shrubs will make you happier than large trees ever will. Fast growing options are usually deciduous but there are several beautiful evergreen shrubs as well if you have just a little more patience.
Rhododendrons and some azaleas keep their leaves year round and put on a beautiful show every spring. Holly and Boxwoods are lush and green year round but Boxwoods can be frustratingly slow to grow into a tall hedge. A note about shorter evergreens like cedar and yew, be careful what species you pick as some will only look good for a few years before they start to look tired and sparse.
Privit, Rose of Sharron and Forsythia and many other deciduous shrubs make great living fences and shoot up in very short order. Get in touch with your local gardener for help making the perfect choice for your property.
The nice thing about using shrubs is that they can be repeatedly pruned into your desired shape, often flower, smell wonderful and make the pollinators in your yard happy. If one in the row dies it is easy to replace it. You can very the colors in your living fence and shape it anyway you want.
By using shrubs instead of trees on your property line privacy you’ll get all the privacy you want and avoid some costly hazards as well. I’m big believer in living fences especially on the larger lots we have outside the city. Get in touch if it’s time to take care of some problem trees or get some privacy in the prettiest way possible!
AMK Landscaping 
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