I find this weird so I'm asking if this is intentional and why. Value seems to be 9.

This is very likely intentional, however I agree that it is quite weird and may look much better without light.
As a side note, maple trees in real life are beautiful and offer so much potential for breathtaking scenery in this game, so I hope some adjustments can be made to the tree itself when addressing their pollen.

WIll be adjusted in a future update but it is intended