1) I don't have a dog in the hunt. 2) Every place we ever rented we mowed ditch banks, cleaned out ditches, and trimmed trees that needed it, and built bridges over creeks when necessary. 3) We replaced a header auger (this was before drapers) when the header picked up  a piece of driftwood as big as my thigh that had washed out into the field following an overflow of the creek. Couldn't see the driftwood because of the dusty conditions. Could barely see the header. 4) Whether or not you ask the landlord to do it would depend on his a) health, b) skill for the job, and c) having the equipment to do the job. If the answer to either of those conditions is "NO" you have a job to do, regardless of how much rent you pay, how far away it is, or what you have done to improve the place in the past.