That doesn’t surprise me. People strive to keep suburban lots looking pristine (a fool’s errand of which I am guilty). People in the country aren’t as hung up on that and just enjoy nature for what it is. I’m on a half-acre in the woods, a mix of Ponderosa pines, Fir, and Spruce trees plus a lot of aspens and some maples and one huge cherry tree. I get the best of all worlds — pine cones, sharp pine cone seeds the squrirrels have stripped, huge Ponderosa Pine needles, small fir needles and lots of leaves.
Friends in South Carolina had a point of land on Lake Murray, SC. Beautiful spot full of pines and pine needles. They got struck by lightning and it burned to ashes in a New York minute.