There aren't a lot of public fruit trees in US cities because the falling ripe fruit can create a sanitization issue.
That's more of an inefficient allocation issue. Mostly people driving past ripe fruit trees to buy fruit imported across oceans at the grocery store.
Would you prefer fruit that grew near a city road, after many decades of cars passing by that place while burning leaded fuel?
But you can't be sure the imported fruit wasn't grown in the same or worse conditions
There's a spot in St. Paul, MN that I drive by sometimes that has had treefall apples all over the sidewalk for the last few weeks. I'm surprised they're left on the tree for that long, since it's in a pretty busy area.
Unattended apple trees can create rotting apples on the ground, certainly. Those are admittedly not pretty, but in Central Russia (and, presumably, in Estonia, which is not that far off climate- and fauna-wise) they’re just one more layer of soil by spring. Do hotter temperatures or different wildlife make them a bigger problem in the US somehow?
Probably a situation with stuck up neighbors most of the time. If you’ve heard of the homeowners association problem in the USA, this could be the cause. Having rotting fruit is fine for the soil and everything, but the stick up the butt neighbors or HOA probably would complain or ban the practice. US Americans are pretty separated from nature in their big suburbs.
I don't get it. If I wanted somebody to tell me what choices to make with how I lived, I'd have just continued living with my parents.
Indeed. But it is difficult to find a house near work that is not already part of an HOA.
It is more likely to be seen as messy, just aesthetics. Another big reason for chopping down fruit trees in urban areas is they mess up cars that are parked under them.
Rotting fruit also quickly attract bees and wasps and larger problems like raccoons.
Not sure if it is really sanitization issue. But certainly perceived one - it can be mess.
This was not unique to US. I remember on the other side of the Iron Curtain we planted in cities mostly just male dioecious trees.
Finally no fruit ...just pollen everywhere. (Good luck with allergies)
When I went to high school, I'd walk through an allotment garden to get to school. Always great for a snack on the way home, someone had amazing raspberries! Some lovely cherry trees as well as several varieties of apples.
Public? Free? Pschht, everyone knows that what's outside the fence is free for the taking!
But there were also tons of fruit trees in nature in the city. Went jogging one time at a jogging trail, saw chanterelles in the forest, came back with my t-shirt full of tasty, tasty mushrooms.
If you've grown up with always being able to pick fruits and berries and mushrooms in nature, maps like this are so weird. Why would you need a map? Nature is full of it?
Oh, you're not allowed? Oh, you can't access it? Oh, there aren't any around, really? How sad.