The Long family of Whitehouse grew up beside a 15‑foot white spruce that had become a living memorial, with pets buried under its roots. When the Meiers bought the neighboring parcel in 2020, they commissioned a survey that placed the spruce entirely on their side, a fact Michael Meier used to justify removing it in 2022. Under Ohio Revised Code 901.51, anyone who recklessly cuts a tree on another’s land must pay treble damages; the court accepted the Longs’ $3,841.29 replacement estimate and multiplied it by three, resulting in $11,523.87. The trial court also found that the Meiers had erected a fence without the Longs’ consent, awarding an additional $3,841.29 for fence damage and bringing total damages to $15,365.16. On September 18, 2026, the Sixth District Court of Appeals confirmed the lower court’s ruling, solidifying the $11,523.87 award and setting a clear precedent for neighbors who cut trees without permission.