Tree strife

I have a big open field behind my house, once separated by a half-dozen trees, of various sizes, and my chain link fence. Supposedly there was once a wooden fence there, but the previous owners put the chain link fence in so they could have a better view of the trees and field. The previous owner also said that the trees were technically on this property, even though they were outside the fence, and that the city had tried on many occasions to remove the trees, but that she had stopped them.

That was almost 9 years ago. I hadn't thought much about it until I got home tonight, looked out my back window, and noticed that the view had changed. Instead of having to peer through my trees to see the field behind my house, I had a clear view of the field. The trees were gone. All of them.

Yikes, huh?!? I'm not sure how to feel about this because there are pros and cons with this situation to be sure. I'm rather conflicted. Of course, my initial reaction was, those bastards cut down my trees! But on reflection, there are some not so bad aspects of the situation. Thus my confliction.


Some pros:
- Clear view of the field.
- House not as obstructed when viewed from the field, so maybe less of a burglary target.
- No more powerline worries. All of the tall trees touched powerlines above them. They were responsible for at least one power outage for myself and my immediate neighbors over the years, so they were a constant external stress factor for me on windy and/or stormy days.
- No more over-ripe mulberries covering the yard.
- No more tree-trimming maintenance.

Some cons:
- They were MY freakin' trees!
- They didn't ask. At all.
- Not quick/easy to replace. If I ever wanted them back, it's not like even another 9 years is enough to grow new ones. And planting larger trees would be expensive.
- Less privacy. In the summer, all the foliage created a "natural fence", so the frequently used field behind my house didn't have such a good view of my back yard. Now I sort of want to put the wooden fence back.
- They didn't take the mimosa! I have a dreadful mimosa in the back yard that I would have gladly let go of had I know they were already at it.


I'm thinking my grounds for complaint are non-existent because of some kind of easement. Also, with the recent brush-fire danger around here, they may have been "clearing brush" around nearby fields of grass. I'm not sure I'll ever have the answers I seek without stirring up some mess for an issue that can't be undone.