On Tue, 28 Apr 2009 19:09:11 -0700 (PDT), Joe
wrote:

My neighbor has had a dead tree in the back of his property for about
a year, last night the wind finally broke the trunk and it fell a
little toward my yard but was stopped by a large oak tree on my
property. I'm worried that it might break apart and fall when my
children are playing in the yard. I need this tree to come down and
I'm worried that my neighbor won't do it. They have a habit of only
doing the kind of maintenance that is absolutely necessary. How do I
approach them to make sure they take care of this problem? I'm on
good terms with this neighbor and I'd like to take care of this in the
most tactful way possible but I get the feeling they are going to tell
me that if I want the tree down I'm going to have to pay for it
myself.

This can be a complex issue. Keep your children out of the yard
during storms or a windy day. Keep and date a few pictures of the
tree and let the neighbor know it is a hazard. Wait for his reaction,
perhaps a week or two, then contact a city official who knows about
these situations. You should NOT have to pay to remove a neighbor's
tree.