farmers cutting branches off trees

[newbiee]

The farmer in the field next to mine came along the perimiter last week with cutting the hedge back (hacking it to pieces more like!) .. .much of which flew, high speed, into my garden and could easily have his myself or the dogs in the eye!   Oh, well.

The perimeter is edged with many mature oak trees (mine).  Is the farmer within his rights to cut off branches which are overhanging his field?

 

Also ... hedges ..... we regularly have ours hacked to pieces by the commune .... I'm never around when they do it and have never seen them do it.  How can I stop this happening.  I would rather tend my own hedge, to keep it neat but fairly tall (I have no close neighbours who would be bothered by it) ... hot hugely tall, but enough to give a bit of privacy.

[Clair]

[quote user="newbiee"]Is the farmer within his rights to cut off branches which are overhanging his field?[/quote]

Your neighbour cannot cut branches overhanging his land (he can cut the roots though), but he can make you cut them. By the same token, as the owner of the trees, you should not allow branches to overhang his land.

[quote user="newbiee"]Also ... hedges ..... we regularly have ours hacked to pieces by the commune .... I'm never around when they do it and have never seen them do it.  How can I stop this happening.  I would rather tend my own hedge, to keep it neat but fairly tall (I have no close neighbours who would be bothered by it) ... hot hugely tall, but enough to give a bit of privacy.[/quote]The commune has a duty to clear the edges of the roads. You could either try to keep your hedges trimmed or have a word with the maire, but I don't fancy your chances... [:)]

[newbiee]

[quote user="Clair"][quote user="newbiee"]Is the farmer within his rights to cut off branches which are overhanging his field?[/quote]
Your neighbour cannot cut branches overhanging his land (he can cut the roots though), but he can make you cut them. By the same token, as the owner of the trees, you should not allow branches to overhang his land. [/quote]

 

I just got back home and he's cut all of the branches overhanging his field down.  Absolutely buttered the trees and didn't even ask!

[Tony F Dordogne]

I've provided a number of people online with a copy of the regulations concerning hedges and trees, what you can and can't do etc.

Newbiee, I think the problem is yours - for a start, it's likely that your hedge should be maintained at 2 metres, especially the one facing the road.

I'd have a word with him and suggest that next time the branches need to be cut, you'll be pleased to do them yourself.  Also, if the commune is cutting your hedge regularly, perhaps they're trying to tell your something, it sounds as tho they would have expected you to cut them, which is likely to be your responsibility tho a word before the commune picked up the expense - beware a bill in the future - did it for you.

If you send me a pm with your email address, I'll send the page to you as an attachment.

Edit: should have added that it's probably better he cut through the branches than cut through the roots - which he was entitled to do - and probably would have killed the trees completely.

[Deimos]

I have found "the commune" (or in my case the DDE as they do the work) to be pretty cooperative.  For example, last autumn they were tiding up around the river banks beside the road (cutting back self-set trees, etc.).  I was chatting to them and they noticed I had a couple of old cut trees re-sprouting on the bits on the river close to my house and definitely on my land and my responsibility and not even close to their land/responsibility.  The asked if I would like them to cut them back whilst they were doing the work.  they cut them and removed the waste just sort of "being friendly".

Maybe the cooperative attitudes one can experience can give one a false impression about whose responsibility things actually are.

Ian

[Ron Avery]

Clair said "Your neighbour cannot cut branches overhanging his land"

I think he can if they are obstructing him from using it, if  for example the branches are below the height of a tractor or combine then they are a danger and you are depriving him the use of his land. I really cannot see what the problem is if the branches are being cut off that overhang his field, what difference does that make to you?

[Clair]

http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/Logement & Voisinage, mitoyenneté

[Ron Avery]

Agreed Clair but this is surely in the domestic situation of gardens.  I wonder what would happen if the OP didn't cut the branches over this field and stopped the farmer cutting them then one took his eye out whilst he was ploughing say.[blink]

[Clair]

Ron, I'm sure you know that already [:)], but it doesn't hurt to spell it out for those who don't...

In case the tree owner refused to cut the branches overhanging the farmer's land, the farmer could force the tree owner to do so by legal means.

Ce que dit la loi

L’article 673 du code civil oblige chaque propriétaire à élaguer les branches dépassant de la limite de séparation entre les deux terrains.

Ne coupez pas les branches vous-même.

Il est exaspérant de les voir empiéter dans votre jardin, mais sauf

autorisation de votre voisin, vous ne pouvez pas les tailler.

Sachez le !

• Vous acceptez depuis trente ans que les

  branches des sapins voisins dépassent sur votre terrain. Aujourd’hui
  vous souhaitez vendre et demandez l’élagage. Le fait d’avoir toléré
  l’empiètement n’éteint pas ce droit. Il est imprescriptible.

• Votre voisin vous informe que la coupe

  des branches risque d’entraîner la mort de l’arbre. Cet argument n’est
  pas valable. Les tribunaux considèrent que vous pouvez exiger
  l’ébranchage même s’il risque d’entraîner la mort de l’arbre.

L’article 673 du Code civil

ne s’applique pas aux racines des plantations voisines ou aux ronces

avançant sur votre propriété. Vous pouvez les couper sans obtenir

l’autorisation du voisin.

Envoyez un courrier

Votre voisin tarde à s’en occuper ou fait la sourde oreille ? Mettez-le

en demeure de couper les branches débordant dans votre jardin.

Adressez-lui une mise en demeure d’élaguer par lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception.

Pensez à la conciliation

Mieux vaut un bon compromis qu’un jugement pour conserver des relations de voisinage saines. Optez pour la commission départementale de conciliation. Elle tentera avec vous et le voisin récalcitrant de trouver une solution amiable. C’est gratuit.

Vous devez la saisir par lettre recommandée avec accusé de réception en

mentionnant vos nom, adresse, ceux de votre voisin, et l’objet du

litige. Contactez votre préfecture pour connaître les coordonnées de la

commission dont vous dépendez.

Saisissez le tribunal

En l’absence d’accord, il ne vous reste plus qu’à saisir la justice. En

cas de préjudice, fissures d’un mur, infiltration, demandez des

dommages et intérêts. Si vous êtes locataire, ce n’est pas à vous de

saisir le tribunal, c’est à votre propriétaire d’assigner le voisin.

Modèle de lettre de mise en demeure d’élaguer (À envoyer avec accusé de réception)

Nom prénom Ville, le (date)

Adresse

Nom et adresse du voisin

Madame/Monsieur,

Je vous ai demandé plusieurs fois

d’élaguer les branches d’arbres avançant sur mon terrain. Aucune

opération de coupe n’a été effectuée à ce jour.

Je vous informe que l’article 673 du

code civil dispose que « celui sur la propriété duquel avancent les

branches des arbres, arbustes et arbrisseaux du voisin peut contraindre

celui-ci à les couper ».

Je vous mets donc en demeure d’élaguer

vos arbres dans les plus brefs délais. À défaut, je me verrais dans

l’obligation de saisir le tribunal d’instance.

Je vous prie d’agréer, Madame ou Monsieur, l’expression de mes sentiments distingués.

Signature

In case the farmer got injured by a branch the tree owner had not cut, the tree owner would be liable through his responsabilité civile insurance: http://vosdroits.service-public.fr/particuliers/assurance responsabilité civile