Tenant Taking Their Own Interpretation of "Tree Trimming"

[Will Dixon]

I have reached a friction point with tenants (Unit 1) and need some advice. They have been living at the property since May 1. Sometime in June my tenant had asked if it would be ok for her to do some work in the yard. She mentioned weeding, raking, and trimming some trees. One of the trees in the front yard looked slightly unwell and she mentioned that she had researched the issue showing me pictures of the "fungus" that was making the tree sick. At the very least, I considered her to have some gardening knowledge.

About two weeks ago my mom noticed that the mature orange tree that was in front of Unit 1 had been hacked away and almost completely defoliated. Earlier this week my mom witnessed the tenant proceeding the further "trim" the tree claiming she is removing dead branches. I immediately sent my tenants an email stating they no longer have my permission to trim the trees and the tenant acknowledged.

Today I noticed another tree I had planted in the last 12 months had been cut at the top. I could not determine whether this happened before or after my correspondence with them earlier this week. I have since taken photos of all the trees/bushes on the property for my records.

I see myself with a few options:

1. Tell my tenant she cannot do any yardwork, period. This seems extremely excessive and petty and I know for a fact that my tenant enjoys being out in the yard as a outlet for stress or whatever else. It initially seemed mutually beneficial to me but now I feel I would have been better off hiring a gardener due to the cost of replacing the trees.

2. Seek damages. I am not sure what the best way would be to go about this but I think any reasonable third party would agree that my tenant went beyond what is considered "tree trimming". Attached are a few photos of the before and after. In the photo with the building the tree is located on the right along the stone wall.

Any input or anecdotal past experiences would be appreciated!