I hate the neighbor's Ginkgo. I won't go into all the many, many reasons I hate it, but I do. Is there any legal right we have to this tree? I've been told it's well over 100 years old and I hate the idea of taking it down, but it stresses me out just thinking about the 6 weeks of "terror of the Ginkgo" that I have to suffer through each fall. Please help!

Hi Ginger:

I'm not an attorney, but I'm going to go out on a limb (ahem) and inform you that, "No, you don't have any rights to your neighbor's tree."

The story would be somewhat different if said tree's root system was clogging-up your septic system or said tree's limbs were extending onto your property and interfering w/ your quality of life and dropping smelly fruit directly onto your property.

Two potential suggestions:

1) Contact your city's forestry bureau to determine if there is a city ordinance regarding female ginkgo trees.

2) Contact an attorney

Best of luck!