ailanthus

(Judi)Portland, OR

My neighbor has several ailanthus trees that are just on the other side of the fence between our yards. They are huge and hang over onto my roof and on the utility wires. I have consulted an arborist who said I can have them trimmed - what ever part hangs over into my yard. However, the neighbor put a sign in her window saying that the trees can feel pain when they are trimmed and that they do not wan tme to trim them. I am new to the neighborhood and I would not like to make enemies. Any suggestions? I understand that these trees are considered an invasive species.

Dublin, CA(Zone 9a)

You might try posting in the Trees & Shrubs forum for more advice--this forum is mainly for talking about upgrades people would like to see to the site.

If the branches are in the utility lines and on your roof, they represent a hazard as well as a potential route for pests to get into your house so they do really need to be dealt with. I'd explain that to the neighbor and tell her you'll do the minimum trimming necessary to remove the hazard. And if she can't deal with it even after that explanation, then I suspect she's going to be a troublesome neighbor no matter what and you're going to have run-ins with her on something else down the road, so I wouldn't let her attitude stop you from doing what you need to do. Just make sure your arborist is really careful while trimming so that not even the tiniest leaf on her side of the fence is touched.

Northumberland, United Kingdom(Zone 9a)

I fear in a sense the neighbour is right - they won't "feel pain" in a human manner, but they may well respond to pruning by sending up a forest of root sprouts on your side of the fence. Nasty!

Does the neighbour know they are a problem invasive species that is damaging to other plants and wildlife habitats? If not, a bit of education work might help, you might succeed in persuading her to replace them with local native species better for the environment.

Resin

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