Thank heavens your neighbor agreed to cutting down the tree!  At least
now you can deal with all of the flak without having to be terrified for
his health (as you would have if you'd been told "no" beforehand and
spent the next three years fighting it and trying to keep him indoors!).

I wonder why if this tree was "protected" and "historical" that it
didn't have signs around it, etc, identifying it and proclaiming it as
such.  That's certainly how it works down here in Florida.  And I'd also
think your neighbor would have known . . .

I just want you to know that you have my sympathies.  I am in favor of
protecting our resources and fellow creatures, but I'll rate one human
being (especially a child) as worth more than the total extinction of
any plant or animal species, Every Time.  You can't place a value on a
human life.

Much Love,
Trish
(Mama Bear protecting cubs - Grrrrrr!!)