Neighbor trimmed my tree without permission - what options do I have (if any)?
My neighbor trimmed a tree on my property without my knowledge or permission. And by trimmed, I mean butchered... I was working from home and overheard people in my yard, and after confronting them, they said they were there to trim the tree. They entered my yard without prior notice or approval, and had already climbed into the tree and were cutting branches when I went to speak with them. I am aware that they legally have the right to trim branches that overhang the property line - but don't they require approval to be in my yard? And the trimming of the tree should not effect the overall health of the tree, right? If that isn't correct, then please let me know.
I'm including photos of the tree to show how much they trimmed. I wish I had a before photo to show how tall the tree was and to what extent the branches overhung the property line. In my opinion, they completely butchered this tree and cut down close to half of its height... I confronted them again to complain and say I want them off of my property and to stop working until the neighbor was consulted (the neighbor was of course not home during this situation - who has this type of work done on their house when they're not present??). They of course continued cutting and argued that they were not affecting my property (a guy is legitimately climbing the tree in my yard??) I asked them if they could provide an arborist report stating the trimming was not going to effect the health of the tree, which they said they did not have one and did not need one.
Basically, I wasn't trying to be an a**hole with this situation until they completely butchered the tree and the landscaper was completely rude and dismissive... That tree provided all the shade to their rear patio so I'm not even sure why they would do this, but whatever, it's not my call to make. I can't control what happens on their side of the property, but the overall health of the tree now seems to be a concern of mine.
So what can I do in this situation? Is suing the only option here?
Location: Town of Islip, Suffolk County, New York