There are ways to tell when you're in an area where trees are rare and unusual. The main one is to drive five minutes outside of town and you notice when looking around that there are no goddamn trees anywhere. I mean anywhere in between the places where people live. People plant some in their yard because they're desperate for that deciduous delight (or coniferous conniptions, as it were). Everywhere else? No bueno.
This makes people who generally are bereft of trees extremely protective of the trees they do have. That is why this one tree in front of Strathmore High School literally has 30 metric tonnes of concrete poured around it to keep it safe. So now you know.
Also, go plant a tree, the planet will thank you. The concrete is optional.