Couple must pay nearly $600G for removing oak tree from their property

That’s ridiculous.

If they had an easement they probably received tax benefits for it... so if they knowingly said “screw it” - then I do t really have any sympathy for them.

There are situations in Louisiana where this could happen. Try cutting down a live oak in st Tammany without sucking off the Parish

My MIL tried to cut down an old oak that was over her house and the neighborhood pitched a fit about it so she backed down. Then it fell on the neighbors house

quote:

---

Cali gonna Cali

---

The same law is in Louisiana. Cut down a live oak on your property and see what happens. It’s something like a $250,000 fine.

I can’t believe all the people throwing shade on that couple.

trees are worth a frickin ton, go to reddit and look at legal cases where they bring in arborists.

One thing I learned is never frick with trees if you don't have to.

LINK

quote:

---

The conservation easement was placed on the property in 2009 by its former owners, who wanted to preserve the land’s untouched beauty. Conservation easements are voluntary and developed in partnership with land trusts. While the land can be owned privately, the easement becomes part of the permanent title record, according to the Sonoma Land Trust.

Staff members with the land trust found out about the work on the property in October 2014 and contacted the Thompsons, who said they were building a road to move the oak trees to their adjacent ranch, where they were building a new home, according to a complaint.

Staff members saw that a large trench had been excavated around the tree and its roots, and a significant area around the tree had been damaged, the lawsuit said.
In the process, the couple removed 12 more trees, dredged a pond and spread the pond sediment — which was filled with invasive weeds — onto the property, the Sonoma Land Trust said.

Despite the trust’s efforts to explain the easement’s requirements to the property owners, Toni and Peter Thompson continued the work into 2015 and at times denied staff members’ entrance to the property, the lawsuit said. The land trust tried to make amends and gave them a notice that required them to come up with a restoration plan.

---

No sympathy for the couple.

quote:

---

saying the Thompsons knowingly violated the conservation deal and said they demonstrated “arrogance” and “disregard” over the terms of the easement.

---

It sounds like the fine is for a violation of some agreement / ordinance(?) and not just because it is a "tree".


This is the kind of silly outrage I see often:

"Man, the fricking cops gave me a ticket for standing around chewing gum" when in fact the person was standing on some lady's car hood chewing gum while at a traffic light.

No, you did NOT get in trouble for "standing around and chewing gum"