We have been in this house for almost 9 years. We HAD to remove ALL of the Water Oaks. Close to TWENTY of them. Water Oaks have a span of 30-50 years and many in our yard were there. They are ticking time bombs. They look ok on the outside but can be MUSH on the inside. The largest tree in our yard was about 80 feet tall and a good 5-7 feet wide. HOW that thing was standing was beyond me. The inner 75% of the lower trunk was black goo. AAAANYWAY.... I LOVED the shade in the Summer time. It REALLY helped cool the house. BUT...We held our breath during any storm with any wind. Our yard was 90% dirt because there were so many trees. I would STILL take a partial dirt yard for some trees that are durable and not too close to the house.