Man cuts down his neighbor’s tree, plants it in his own yard
Published March 26, 2023 9:39pm EST
by Ayana Willoughby (8th)
A recent tree-pillaging epidemic has begun sweeping the nation, with plant heists on the rise
throughout North America since September.
Homeowner Carol Howard, who was expecting a relaxing Sunday afternoon to enjoy sunny
weather with her two children, Jamie and Caleb, found herself to be a victim of the trend.
The family had gone for an outing in a nearby park, but in the minutes following their arrival
home, disaster struck.
“I heard loud sawing really close to our house,” Caleb recalled. The nine-year-old was in the
living room when the trespasser perpetrated the crime. “Mom mentioned the ‘solicitors’ were
coming back, or something like that. Yesterday they tried to sell us Meat Shredder Claws, so I
thought they were trying them out on our front lawn to get their point across.”
Initially, Howard instructed the kids to ignore the prolonged noise, concluding that the house
next door was likely having landscaping done on their yard.
In actuality, the man responsible for the racket was the Howards’ neighbor cutting down one of
their trees.
“It seems sort of ridiculous—now that I think about it, at least.” Howard said to CNN’s lead
correspondent on lawn care, Michael Stuart. “I don’t understand how this flew under my radar. I
should’ve known what [our neighbor] was doing out there. Honestly, I’m very embarrassed.
Especially since my grandmother was a victim of tree theft herself.”
Stuart suggests wrapping trees in “as many layers of bubble wrap as possible” to prevent
potential tree thieves from hacking at the trunks.
In his best-selling novel, “The True Art of Saving Trees”, he elaborates on his methods through
an anecdote regarding his own personal experience witnessing the pilfering of his oak tree during
childhood.
“The best thing we can do to put an end to this is to get people informed.” Stuart believes
spreading the word will effectively ward off many of the offenders and discourage them from
carrying out illegal acts in the future. “We have to seek justice for ourselves. The trees won’t just
walk home.”
The USDA estimates that of the 49,000 trees stolen in the United States annually, roughly 0% of
them are recovered and returned to their respective owners.
Unfortunately for Howard, her neighbor reputedly fled the country after finishing the job,
leaving her tree firmly placed in his backyard.
Stuart has organized a GoFundMe for the ill-fated family to financially support their journey in
recouping the displaced plant.