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- Cesar Mora began cutting disputed nectarine trees despite a warning to stop.
- A jury found Mora breached his contract, and Giumarra was to remove trees.
- Giumarra warned Mora not to remove trees until litigation is over.
A Reedley farmer who was ordered by a judge to have more than seven acres of disputed nectarine trees removed has started cutting down the trees himself.
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In a recent Instagram post, Cesar Mora fires up a chain saw and cuts off leafy limbs from one of his nectarine trees.
More than 1,800 trees are at the center of several years of litigation between Mora and Giumarra Brothers Fruit Co. over who controls the fruit. Mora signed a contract with the fruit company, one of the state’s largest, to grow the proprietary fruit.
But a Fresno County Superior Court jury on Aug. 13 found that Mora breached the contract, and a judge ordered the trees be removed by Giumarra. Mora has accused the company of unfair business practices.
Mora admitted he’s still frustrated over losing his trees. He said he wants to make a point to the judge that allowing Giumarra to push the trees out, trunk and all, will damage the irrigation system he installed and destroy the rootstock he purchased to grow the nectarine trees.
In the tree-fruit world, rootstock is the root system and bottom part of the trunk that is used to graft the fruit variety of your choice. Mora said you can cut the tree in such a way to retain the rootstock but eliminate the tree from growing the fruit it used to produce.
“If you take the tree out, you are effectively killing the tree, and it’s no longer going to produce any fruit of any kind,” Mora said.
Mora said he could use the rootstock to grow a different kind of fruit, if he wants.
In his Instagram post, Mora mentions possibly needing the help of a few volunteers to help him take out the trees.
Read more Reedley farmer uses chainsaw to remove embattled trees. Grower responds with lawyers
A few months ago, he relied on the public to take more than 125,000 pounds of fruit from his orchard after he was unable to find another packing house to pack and sell the fruit. He said the only other option he had was to let the fruit fall to the ground and rot.
Although Giumarra tried to stop the fruit giveaway, saying it was a violation of his contract, Mora still donated the fruit to the public.
After hearing about Mora’s chainsaw video, Giumarra’s lawyers warned Mora not to take out the trees until litigation between them is over. A judge has yet to rule on Mora’s claim that the company violated the state’s Unfair Competition Law. A hearing is scheduled for Oct. 9.
Although the judge gave Giumarra the authority to arrange for the tree removal, it is unclear who will pay for the removal.
In its cease-and-desist letter to Mora, attorney Albro L. Lundy, wrote, “Mr. Mora’s do-it-yourself demolition and his public recruitment of volunteers to help him do it is not a ‘further order of this Court.’”
Mora said that for now, he will hold off cutting down any more trees.
“The hard part for me to understand is that they are going to send in big equipment, like a D9 bulldozer, and doze over my trees, ruin my irrigation system,” he said. “And that’s going to cost me way more money than is necessary for me to replace those trees. And on top of that, they’re gonna send me the effing bill.”
This story was originally published September 10, 2026 at 6:15 AM with the headline “Reedley farmer uses chainsaw to remove embattled trees. Grower responds with lawyers.”
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