Drew,
I don't think the atitude of the new owners of those houses will change because of that. They don't recognize the value of those trees (historical or monetary) and, for them, they are are just a nuisance that has to be eliminated.
I also feel sad for the loss of that tree, but i feel even sadder for the lost of my portuguese heritage when i see that, in my own country, the point of origin for those wonderful varieties, most, if not all of them, are now virtually unknown to the majority of the general public.
And even those who should known them, like state agricultural technicians and farmers are forgetting this heritage, with a few, honorable exceptions.
Just a few elders remain that still have those trees and know there names. And there are even fewer portuguese fig enthusiasts (like Francisco) that know, collect and preserve them and doing so, keep them alive for all of us.
I feel sad and ashamed for this situation and i will try to do all i can to change it. Namely, i will try to collect, preserve and divulge all the portuguese varieties that i can, including those that were taken to other countries by portuguese immigrants and that, decades later, surface abroad and are, because of that, "rediscovered".