I have asked this question myself and wondered at some of the replies.
The information may be accurate but they also mean that the average
suburban yard (.15-.25 acre) would not have room for any trees.

I have to wonder at some of the replies too. It sounds like some of my
tree-hating neighbors who consider trees on their property to be enemy number
one in terms of leaves and potential damage. A 40 foot away from the house
minimum for a Japanese maple or even weeping cherry is more than a little
paranoid. We're not talking about sequoias, here. We're talking about
foundation plantings of small, ornamental trees.

And the slightly distorted growth habit that may arise is part of the charm.
The trees grow around the house and frame it, as a foundation planting is
supposed to.

Japanese maple in particular is very well behaved, and very slow growing. Gee
whiz, if it does become a problem in 40, 50, 60 years it can always be gotten
rid of. Chances are it will be the new homeowner's problem by then.

~flick