缅因州卡姆登的一起事件：阿米莉亚·邦德用替布硫隆毒害邻居丽莎·戈尔曼物业上的一排70英尺高的橡树；数月后叶子枯萎，邦德提出分摊移除费用。戈尔曼将组织送检，随后出现律师介入和公众曝光，邦德私下以160万美元和解。

林木入侵案件在上升：在南塔克特，一名邻居砍掉16棵树并以1000万美元挂牌出售其房产。戈尔曼的树被毁后，邦德房产的视野等级从“良好”提升到“非常好”，使一块先前价值120万美元的地块增加了50万美元（约42%的溢价）。大型标本树估价约为每棵10万至15万美元。美国法律可追溯到1698年马萨诸塞的一项法规，对故意砍树施加三倍赔偿。

经济理论解释动机：加里·贝克尔的理性犯罪模型衡量收益与被发现的概率。如果邦德估计有25%的逃脱概率，那么扣除预期罚款后50万美元的收益就可能使该行为合理化；事实上她的和解（160万美元）超过了直接的价值增加。执法有时会威胁刑事处罚（南塔克特的指控可能面临最多3年监禁），但执法趋向于偏好罚款和威慑，因为边际执法成本应与受害者的边际损失匹配。社会损失难以量化，加剧了公众愤怒和如r/treelaw的在线论坛活动。

An incident in Camden, Maine: Amelia Bond poisoned a line of 70-foot oak trees on neighbour Lisa Gorman’s property using tebuthiuron; foliage withered months later and Bond offered to split removal costs. Gorman sent tissue for testing, lawyers and publicity followed, and Bond privately settled for $1.6m.

Timber trespass cases are rising: on Nantucket one neighbour cut down 16 trees and listed his property for $10m. After Gorman’s trees were killed, the Bond property’s view grade rose from “good” to “very good,” adding $500,000 to a plot previously worth $1.2m (a ~42% premium). Large specimen trees are valued at roughly $100,000–$150,000 each. U.S. law dates to a 1698 Massachusetts statute imposing triple damages for wilful cutting.

Economic theory explains motives: Gary Becker’s rational‑crime model weighs gains versus probability of detection. If Bond estimated a 25% chance of escape, the $500,000 gain net of expected fines could rationalize the act; in fact her settlement ($1.6m) exceeded the direct value gain. Authorities sometimes threaten criminal penalties (Nantucket charges could have carried up to 3 years’ jail) but enforcement tends to favour fines and deterrence because marginal enforcement costs should match marginal victim loss. Social losses are hard to quantify, fuelling public outrage and online forums such as r/treelaw.