Certified arborist Fred Hathaway, left, stands next to the largest butternut tree on the state Department of Environmental Conservation’s big tree list with owner Jon Nickerson, Thursday, Feb. 1.

Can I cut branches off my neighbor’s tree? If the tree is not on the boundary line, is on your neighbor's side of the property line, and you don’t have an interest in owning the tree, you have ...

The massive tree comes with a deep gray bark. Leaflets on a butternut tree number between 11 and 19. The elongated nut is 1 1/2 to 2 inches long. It is sweet, oily and edible.