Celebrity News

Tree-killer Gere riles locals

Richard Gere‘s attempt at deforestation has landed him in hot water.

Gere, who most recently starred opposite Hilary Swank in her clunker “Amelia,” is facing a fine of up to $50,000 for illegally cutting down as many as 200 trees on his property in Pound Ridge in Westchester, about an hour north of the city. The fine for chopping without a permit is $250 for each tree, reports Bedford’s Record-Review.

In February, Gere and wife Carey Lowell opened the Bedford Post, a bed-and-breakfast inside a restored farmhouse on 14 acres of land.

“He rehabilitated an old, decaying piece of property and people were very happy about that,” Record-Review editor R.J. Marx tells Page Six. “He’s very popular in the community. His son plays Little League here.”

But Gere’s tree slaughter in nearby Pound Ridge seems to have rubbed neighbors the wrong way. “The feeling is that he acted a bit precipitously in clearing the trees,” Marx says. “People are somewhat disappointed that he didn’t follow procedure.”

Gere cleared the trees to create a paddock for his horses. “Rather than seeking the proper channels and permits, he hired someone to cut them down,” Marx says. “He’s generally a good neighbor. It was out of character.”

Says another local resident, “This is a town where money isn’t an issue. What matters are good manners and caring about the community. People have been supportive of him, but I’m not sure what he was thinking.”

The Record-Review reports that Gere claims to have chopped only 150 trees, and that he and town officials are in discussions about replanting a number of them.

A rep for Gere did not respond to our request for comment.