His neighbors cut down their shade tree: when summer arrived, they started parking under his

By Stefan Gheorghe

| Published on Nov 14, 2026

Buy Now

His neighbors cut down their shade tree when summer arrived, they started parking under his

A large tree had shaded street parking outside a suburban home for more than 25 years. When new neighbors moved in, they cut it down because birds nesting in its branches had been leaving droppings on their cars. Months later, summer arrived, and the family began parking beneath the remaining tree in front of the house next door.

That homeowner had no driveway or garage, while the new neighbors had both. After two weeks of finding the shaded space occupied, he left a message on the tree. The neighbors answered with a note of their own.

The Neighbors Removed a Tree That Had Stood for 25 Years

In a Reddit post on r/AITAH, user u/Glenncoco23 explained that the previous owner of the neighboring house had lived there for about 40 years. Before moving, she expressed concern that the incoming owners might remove the tree, which had survived storms and hurricanes.

The new residents were a family of six with four cars. They removed the tree near the end of fall, when falling temperatures made the loss of shade less noticeable.

Summer Parking Led to a Dispute Over the Remaining Tree

By late June, the family had begun using the parking space beneath the tree outside the Reddit author’s home, despite having curb space outside their own property.

The homeowner worked in construction and spent long days exposed to the sun. Returning from work to find the space occupied meant leaving his car in the heat.

After two weeks, he taped an unsigned note to the trunk:

“If you want shade, plant a tree.”

A few days later, another message appeared:

“This is a public street. We can park where we want.”

The homeowner acknowledged that the street was public. His objection was that the family had removed one shade tree and was now using another.

Reddit Commenters Questioned the Tree Removal and the Notes

Several commenters questioned whether the neighbors had permission to remove the original tree. Both trees stood in the strip between the sidewalk and street, where municipal tree regulations may apply.

For example, the Portland Bureau of Development Services requires a permit to remove street trees, including those growing in public rights-of-way. The Reddit author did not disclose his location, so the rules governing the removed tree remain unknown.

Tree removal has caused other neighborhood disputes. In another case reported by Homedit, a landlord refused to contribute $4,000 toward removing two spruce trees, then paid that amount when he needed access through the neighbor’s yard to sell his house.

Other Reddit commenters criticized the homeowner’s approach. User u/ajulesd suggested speaking to the family before leaving a note. The homeowner agreed: