A Portland homeowner says a routine backyard issue—tree limbs crossing a fence line—turned into a boundary-pushing confrontation when a neighbor hired a worker who allegedly reached well into the homeowner’s yard to cut a mature walnut.
In the original post, the resident described a worker using a pole saw to hack off limbs as far as he could reach over the fence—estimated at 8 to 10 feet past the property line—cutting “way past the closest node.” The homeowner said they ran outside and told the worker to stop, but the worker allegedly kept cutting until the homeowner began filming.
A pole saw, a fence line, and a homeowner trying to stop the work
According to the account, the cutting happened from the neighbor’s side of the fence, but the homeowner says the worker extended the tool far into the homeowner’s property to remove branches. The homeowner described it as more than trimming what was simply overhanging the neighbor’s side—more like reaching across and taking what could be reached.
The homeowner said the worker told them he “doesn’t report” to the homeowner and continued. When the homeowner got a phone out to record, the worker allegedly stopped and moved behind a shed so he couldn’t be filmed.
The neighbor’s explanation: sunlight for a garden
The neighbor who hired the worker reportedly defended the cutting as necessary because the walnut was growing over the fence and shading an area where the neighbor’s wife hoped to plant watermelon. The neighbor wanted more sun on that garden area, the poster said…