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@martinw-48 wrote:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-03-02/tree-loss-increasing-heat-in-suburbs-as-thermal-inequity-hits...

I hate driving around some suburbs and seeing no trees.
I don't understand the way so many people lose it over leaves, they're natural.
Sure they're annoying but it's more annoying to be walking in full Sun and having to get back in a vehicle that's been sitting in full Sun.
Yes, they do fall down and do damage and unfortunately kill the odd individual but they add so much to the streetscape and the natural environment

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Some gum trees are known 'widow makers' and should not be planted in suburban areas.  There's plenty of other native trees to choose from.  It's all very well to say 'unfortunately kill the odd individual' but you might think differently if it kills yourself or someone you would rather was still living. 

Councils get stupid about it, and I remember a case of a tree that was assessed as a danger and sure enough, the council refused permission for it to be removed.  In a storm the tree came down and killed the homeowner.  A representative of the council was interviewed on TV and defended the council's decision.  Talk about blinkered.  Most built up areas of Australia have more than one kind ot gum tree or other species native to the area, allowing for the planting of a much safer option.

I have a council planted gum that regularly dropped heavy branches onto the road.  The council wouldn't remove it but it had to be so drastically pruned to make it safe that it's now an ugly bendy pole with leaves.  Thankfully there are no side branches left to fall.

My elderly mother regularly battles the council over a gum tree that leans over her property from next door.  The tree drops huge gum nuts that fall everywhere and sound like gun shots.  They've put holes in her patio roof but more worrying they make her whole small backyard unsafe to walk in.  If you were in your 90s and using a walking stick, and had already had a few falls, imagine how hazardous a lawn laden with big gum nuts can be.  The council of course, doesn't give a rats.