In North Carolina it is a Class H Felony if the value of the theft is $1,000 and higher.
You probably have photos of the area you marked for your pond, yes? And so any certified arborist should be able to look at those photos, the remaining stumps and surrounding trees, and provide a dollar value to you. And unless it was pure junk it should value over $1K. Moving the theft of property from a misdemeanor to a felony makes a big difference. Although it sounds like the perpetrator has a long line of others he has wronged ahead of you.
Yeah, he has a long history of felonies, so this would just be another to add to the pile. I do have lots of before-and-after photos and videos. Whether it's a misdemeanor or a felony won't help me recover money directly from him I don't think. According to one of his other victims and research I've done myself, he has absolutely no assets. Everything he "owns" or uses is in other people's names, and of course, he has no legitimate wages that they could garnish.
I just want my pond!
*stamps foot on ground*
