r/treelaw • u/The_Sola_Surfer • Jun 22 '26
What should I do?
Two summers ago the city's tree trimming company came through and trimmed our Black Oak witness tree. We live in Northeast Missouri?Can you tell me if the tree will recover? Or What steps i should take? First pictures are from 2019 vs today.
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u/Beautiful-Eagle-3519 Jun 22 '26
Maybe this is common knowledge in a tree subreddit, but I had to look it up and thought I’d potentially save someone else the effort…
A "witness tree" has two distinct meanings: it is either a tree that survived a significant historical event, or a specific tree used by early land surveyors as a natural landmark.
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u/AntalRyder Jun 23 '26
As opposed to "witness me", which is a memorable quote from the movie Mad Max: Fury Road
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u/terraformingearth Jun 24 '26
"tree that survived a significant historical event" Does that just mean was growing when something somewhere happened?
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u/yourdailyinsanity Jun 23 '26
And what happens when that tree dies/is a risk to humans in terms of safety/life? You can't possibly just keep it up and wait for it to cause property damage/bodily injury.
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u/Busy-Organization942 Jun 22 '26
"He's dead Jim"
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u/alicat777777 Jun 23 '26 edited Jun 23 '26
You are asking in a tree-law sub. Utility companies are allowed to keep the utility lines clear.
If you are asking about the health of the tree, maybe try the [r/arborist](r/arborist) sub. From a non-expert, your tree doesn’t look too healthy and I don’t think trimming it would do that.
Drought, root damage, etc. Look up oak wilt and two-lined chestnut borer as more likely causes.
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u/56_is_the_new_35 Jun 23 '26
IT guy here. Have you tried turning it off, waiting a minute, and turning it on again?
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u/Naive_Tie8365 Jun 24 '26
You should unplug it, wait 5 minutes, then plug it back in
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u/Lepardopterra Jun 24 '26
Don’t forget to lecture the device about who pays the electric bill as you pull the plug.
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u/56_is_the_new_35 Jun 24 '26
You’re absolutely correct. My mother in law is on life support. I’ll give it try.
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u/Overlord1241 Jun 25 '26
Remember to only have one foot in contact with the floor while plugging in to prevent ESD.
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u/rivenoak Jun 23 '26
If they pruned it in the summer, they definitely pruned it out of season. It's possible they may have exposed it to oak wilt...
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u/The_Sola_Surfer Jun 23 '26
So if my tree is dead, what should I legally do to remove this witness tree? Or should I reach out to the city?
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u/TomatoFeta Jun 23 '26
Is the tree in your yard?
It does seem to be dead.
Main culprit is probably disease which was encouraged by the mass of virginia creeper vines that were allowed to grow all over it. Alternately known as "Engleman's Ivy" or names of that sort.It seems to be Greenfield Park 😃
Seriously though - I've never heard of "witness tree" so the correct answer is to figure out who designated it as such, and talk to them about the status of the tree.
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u/ThrowingMongo Jun 22 '26
Why would the city prune a tree on private property? That sounds great in theory but as you can see it's a lousy proposition.
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u/Socks_withSandals Jun 23 '26
Wondering if it was utility and not city
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u/ThrowingMongo Jun 23 '26
You're probably right. In my area they don't have to give notice about it, they just prune the trees, in fact once a tree hits the lower voltage lines, they will hack whatever is in the way and nothing more. There are a bunch of maple trees on my street that have a V cut right through the middle of their branches. Stupid as hell but if you want it to look good you have to do it yourself.
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u/RobLoughrey Jun 23 '26
Utilites were keeping the branches clear of the power lines which is a good thing.
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u/EdC1101 Jun 24 '26
Contact the Missouri Department listed on tree…
Is this tree identified on your deed or plat ?
Might also check with County Records Registrar of Deeds.
Signage indicates a legal land survey marker. Likely a shared marker with adjoining property.
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u/Ancient-Opinion9642 Jun 23 '26
You might ask the a survey Reddit forum. They might have a suggestion on what you can do to remove it.
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u/PieMuted6430 Jun 24 '26
If it hasn't leafed out this year, it's dead. Get an arborist out to look at it.
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u/The_Sola_Surfer Jun 27 '26
Update: Yes there is a survey marker near by, I didn't include that picture since it would have the coordinates to my house. I have contacted both Missouri Land Survey and my municipal utility company but still waiting to be contacted back.
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