What's the best way to remove surface roots?

Question:My neighbor's tree has sprouted many suface roots, some 2-3 feet tall, in my yard and has become very unsightly. I want to remove these roots in order to improve the landscape quality, but I don't want to kill my neighbor's tree. I was thinking of digging a few feet down, cutting the roots, laying down a plastic cover barrier and filling in the hole with potting soil and mulch. Is this the best way to go about this?

Answers:
dig down and cut them off at the main root with a lopper or hand clippers.

This is how many species of trees spread.. poplars in particular. It's the trees nature to spread this way, so prepare to do this fairly often.

I wouldn't bother with the plastic.. a tree will push up your plastic trying to grow.

Don't worry, you won't kill his tree.