Workers clearing land for a solar farm in New Hampshire cut 30 trees on the wrong property; settlement with the electric company and tree service hit $100,000 | World News

A routine land-clearing project in Rockingham County, New Hampshire, turned into a costly property dispute after workers hired to prepare land for a solar farm mistakenly cut more than 30 trees belonging to a neighbouring landowner. The property boundaries had reportedly been surveyed and marked before the work began, but the tree-service workers apparently misunderstood which trees they were supposed to remove. The trees, some with trunks up to 26 inches in diameter, had also served as a visual buffer between the homeowner’s property and the solar farm. After an insurance demand failed, the landowner sued the tree service and the electric company. Following months of litigation and mediation in early 2026, the case ended with a $100,000 settlement.

Workers cut trees on wrong property

The incident occurred in 2024, when an electric company hired a tree service to clear land for a solar farm in Rockingham County. According to the law firm representing the affected landowner, the property boundaries had already been surveyed and marked before the clearing work began. Despite this, workers apparently misunderstood which trees they had been instructed to remove and crossed onto neighbouring land. More than 30 trees belonging to another property owner were cut during the operation, according to the firm’s account.

Trees had provided a visual buffer

The trees were not merely timber standing on unused land. The law firm’s case summary says they provided a partial visual buffer between the affected property and the solar farm. The stumps reportedly measured between 7 and 26 inches in diameter, indicating that some of the trees were substantial. Their removal changed the view from the property and reduced the natural screening between the homeowner’s land and the solar installation. The case therefore involved not only the cutting of trees but also their importance to the property’s appearance and surroundings.

Insurance claim led to lawsuit

After discovering that the trees had been removed, the property owner hired Welts, White & Fontaine, PC, with attorney Israel F. Piedra handling the matter. The law firm said it submitted a demand to the tree service’s insurance company, but no settlement offer was received. The dispute subsequently moved into litigation. The property owner filed a lawsuit in Rockingham County Superior Court against both the tree service and the electric company over the cutting of the trees on the neighbouring property.

Case went through months of litigation

The dispute continued for several months as the parties went through discovery and litigation, according to the law firm’s account. The matter eventually went to mediation in early 2026, giving the parties an opportunity to resolve the dispute without taking it through a full trial. The mediation resulted in a $100,000 settlement. Because the amount was agreed through settlement, rather than awarded by a judge, it should not be described as a $100,000 fine or court-ordered damages award.

Settlement reached for $100,000

What began as a mistake during a solar-farm clearing operation ultimately became a six-figure legal dispute. More than 30 trees were removed from the wrong property despite the boundaries reportedly having been marked, and the affected landowner pursued claims against both the tree service and the electric company. After the failed insurance demand, months of litigation and mediation, the case was settled for $100,000 in 2026, according to the law firm representing the property owner.