Private Views Vs. Public Trees

"Unauthorized tree trimmings are common along California's coastline, where homeowners fiercely defend their views and sometimes take extreme steps to safeguard or restore them.A panoramic view can easily add $25,000 to $100,000 to a home's value, real estate brokers say. They add that the value can diminish by that much if a view is blocked.

Reports of residents sneaking around at night with cans of poison to kill their neighbors' trees or calling tree-trimmers to hack offending growth while their neighbors are on vacation prompted several Southland cities to enact ordinances that try to balance the rights of homeowners who have paid a premium for a view against their neighbors' rights to grow trees on their property."

Thanks to Chris Steins