It's been a running joke for years in Gran Turismo. Why does it not matter now, in a generation where it probably shouldn't happen at all?
Might I add, many PC sims still have 2D trees. Personally, I couldn't give a damn about trackside trees.
Static pre-baked lighting? Are you sure?
No ToD changes? Are you sure?
No Weather. So far, yep. Rain tyres were an option in the BETA so might be added later (or be a surprise for release, but I doubt it).
Significantly less cars/tracks, although true, have nothing to do with technical proficiency.
If you're concentrating on trees in a racing game, your playing it wrong.
Are you sure it's all dynamic? Sound like it's pre-defined. Full dynamics are not pre-defined and users would be able to access the settings.
I very much doubt you'll ever get to tinker with environmental settings in Forza Motorsport 7 because it doesn't seems as complete as they would like you to believe. Just a hunch, more than anything.