OP said the easement was for access and it is up against the wall. The fact that the HOA took down the tree makes it a safe bet that it is a maintenance easement for the wall.
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My property has a 10-foot access easement located in the back of my property. My property survey shows that I am the land owner of this access easement up to (but not including) the perimeter wall. The HOA is the land owner of the perimeter wall.
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The HOA cut this tree down, because they claim the roots would damage the perimeter wall, and that they needed access to maintain the perimeter wall.