$ Value On Trees

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Neighbor cut down 4 Pecans ( 24"DBH x 55 ft. tall ) & 4 Sweetgums (24" x 50 ft. tall ). Please try to put a loss value on these trees as described. They afforded shade to my place of business. The neighbor goofed up on the property bounderies ( L-shaped ) & removed them without consulting with me. Any input of their value would be appreciated. Sorry but I only have the stumps too look at !!!!!! Your help is again ,appreciated ! EDIT: Wish I still held the proper credentials. Ga. has it's own laws pertaining to unlawful cutting & unauthorized destruction of private property. My attorney said, " Billy, it's like the billfold in your pocket " & plans on filing suit. Strong cases have been presented in Ga. & yours warrants a jury trial. I would like you to look at the ISA Tree Appraisal Worksheet.A lot of useful information. I've been retired for a while ,work only as needed.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Neighbor cut down 4 Pecans ( 24"DBH x 55 ft. tall ) & 4 Sweetgums (24" x 50 ft. tall ). Please try to put a loss value on these trees as described. They afforded shade to my place of business. The neighbor goofed up on the property bounderies ( L-shaped ) & removed them without consulting with me. Any input of their value would be appreciated. Sorry but I only have the stumps too look at !!!!!! Your help is again ,appreciated !

It is hard to value from just stumpage, do you have any old pictures?

Are you looking for an amenity value of the trees, with it being a business site, cost of cure may be better in the long run. What size tree will afford the minimum shade cover to effect cooling,
can they be brought in,
what would be the long term cost of establishing these large transplants...irrigation system & water cost, fert, soil amendments,
labor for long term care...

 

[OLD CHIPMONK]

Thank You for the interest. The minimum size for replacement, probably 8"DBH x 25-30 ft each. This would posssibly afford the same amount of shade as the originals. I'm upset & no I don't have any old photos of the lossed trees. Neighbor is not happy & I'm simply trying to establish some kind of loss value for those destoyed.The 8 removed gave my place of business a lot of shade in the hot Ga. summer months. They are not high valued shade trees, but they must have some knd of value. Your input is greatly appreciated !!!

 

[motor]

Your neighbor cut down your trees? Does he know you have a tree business? Can't help with the $ side of it but that sucks. By the way did you have any luck with the Holan parts?

 

[ropensaddle]

Thirteen wraps and a good rope rosened and tied through a good pulley
and to the saddle horn of a good horse or mule! :hmm3grin2orange:
Summer shade is extremely valuable on keeping the anger monster at bay.

 

[masterarbor]

i don't mean to fan the flames, but i would be VERY perturbed!
however it works out, it doesn't sound like you'll be getting a fair shake.
kevin

 

[scottbaker]

Your loss sounds significant if the trees are on private property.

There are accepted methods of valuation of damaged trees and landscape.

I suggest you call a consulting arborist in your area who has experience with appraisal. I think an ASCA member or RCA would be your best bet. An experienced consultant should be willing to give you some phone time to walk you through various scenarios and explain their qualifications. Experience is very important. A solid appraisal will be worth the fees.

As one who works on these sorts of things I strongly recommend that you attempt to find a workable solution with the offending neighbor if you can.

OK to contact me off list if you have a question.

Scott

 

[M.D. Vaden]

There are probably going to be two ways to approach this.

One is an arborist setting value according to the type of trees, and maybe an estimate of size and description.

The other, is going according to the cost of some of the biggest sizes available from a big tree nursery.

You may need to settle on a value of loss, and replace with another species. Just depends on availability too.

Was it Paul S. above who wrote about establishing and irrigation? That's important to keep in mind.

You could go the technical route down to the nitty gritty research, or you could get an estimate from a tree company or properly equipped licensed landscape contractor - and present that total to the neighbor. It could be a huge amount of money - depending.

REMEMBER: This is not just a tree value thing. It also may include stump grinding and properly preparing the planting hole area. That cost is not cheap, and can vary depending on what may be under the ground or not.

Check licensing.

At least in Oregon - arborist or not - whoever plants according to contract, must have an Oregon landscape contractors license. I was in Savannah, GA about 10 years ago, but totally forgot the requirements - which could be different.

 

[capetrees]

Same thing happened around here last year. Neighbor of a friend of mine wanted to clear trees for a view. Told the tree removal co. to take out the trees on my buddies property, just the tops, for a view. The guy topped the upper half of 30' pines, left my buddy with 14 totem poles in his back yard. In the end, the neighbor was given two options. Due to the fact that my buddies house was for sale, he would buy the house for market rate of around 600K or he would pay to replace the trees as close to original as possible which included cranes etc. Cost? 120K. Its now in court and my buddy is going for even more. And then theres the tree company that did the cutting....

Did your neighbor hire someone to do the work or did he do it himself? Those trees have major worth and remember, every dime you put into research to get a value of the trees replacement and then the ultimate replacement comes out of the neighbor. Don't settle for "close to original". Do as best as possible and then the difference in cash.

 

[treeseer]

good advice so far. I'll be passing through savannah in a week, so I can help you in person,