The Tree On The Line
G.S. 1-539.1 — triple the value of trees cut or burned without the owner's consent
In North Carolina, a person who, without the owner's consent, enters another's land and injures, cuts or removes valuable wood, timber, shrubs or trees is liable to the owner for triple their value.
Fire. A person who willfully and intentionally sets fire to valuable wood, timber or trees on another's land is liable for triple the value of what is damaged or destroyed.
A logger misled about the line. A person cutting under contract who is held liable because the party letting the contract misrepresented the property lines is entitled to reimbursement from that party.
Trimming branches that hang over a line, and who owns a tree on the line itself, come from North Carolina court decisions this page does not quote. Whether a particular cutting was without authority, and what it was worth, are questions for a licensed North Carolina attorney.
Sources for this section (1)
- G.S. 1-539.1 — Damages for unlawful cutting, removal or burning of timber; misrepresentation of property lines
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.