That sounds like a typical case for an arborist or forester to determine the value of trees removed and ask for the repayment but I imagine the court in that part of the country will allow you to charge only for the value of the "timber" and disregard any of your plans for future development as pure fantasy. Sadly enough. IMHO.

Pretty sad situation and it is a bad way to start living in a place with a lawsuit pending on the neighbors that you will have to tolerate for the rest of your life or until they drive you crazy and leave. If they already did this damage and cause all that mess I imagine the kind of people they are. More concerned with making a quick buck even if it is plain stealing it from the neighbor's land!

Peter may know more about his kind of stuff with his many years of work in forestry in Atlanta, but he will probably reserve his opinion since he probably could be ask to testify as an expert witness for whatever he says here.