Appraisal Value Added? Trees, Waterfalls, Fountains, on Res/Comm

[Neil G.]

I've so often heard for decades that a mature ornamental and/or fruit tree - especially for instance, the Canary Island Date Palm in this area (Socal)  - easily adds 25k-50k to residential, commercial, or even undeveloped land. Ditto for pools, nat falls/creeks, etc in absence of the topmost sellers like waterfront or 365/clifftop views.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/SB108690570014334423

However, after years of observing appraisers doing their thing, never noticed any stop to smell the roses let alone scope out a backyard or landscape aesthetics!  Of course they do stand on the curb or streetfront for a couple mins taking notes, pics..

But do they actually add value for mature trees, orchards, artif waterfalls, ponds, fountains, etc?