[dd74]

Somewhat related - in Malibu, a homeowner was absolutely positive a boulder lodged in a hillside would one day fall, skip over the Pacific Coast Highway and crash in his house. So, being the well-to-do beachfront homeowner that he was, he mustered enough of his own influence to actually have the boulder blasted out of the mountain. As a consequence, other pieces of hillside, including boulders, dislodged and rolled down the hill. As of now, a very ugly retaining wall juts out into the highway to keep the boulders that do fall from crashing into homes.

That's Mother Nature for you.

Cutting down and removal of trees can upset the topography - at least I would think - and cause the land to shift. Does it flood where you are in AL? If so, this new owner may have problems, just like those residences have problems with falling boulders.

Here in L.A., every tree is precious because they help clean our polluted air. There in fact should be a law against cutting them down, IMO.