AT LAST, someone has a good idea -- because it is the lack of trees and the cutting down of so many that causes weather change -- concrete and houses are NOT good for the environment -- not fond of Clover but she has done the right thing here

Our local council have given away two trees to each resident as long as we've been there - 35 years.

I very much support this concept though I would have liked it more if 10,000 trees / year were given away!!!  Clover, is the demand so little or is this just another example of pollie waffle?  cheers

Nothing new - has always been done by every Council I have known.

What I WOULD prefer is better services for the rates we pay. I live in a small home, small block, 40kms out of Brisbane, and my rates are approaching $2900 per year. And that is with pension rebate. I recently applied to downsize my 2 bins - only to be told I would have to pay an admin fee of $120 ($60 per bin). Admin fee? What the hell do our rates pay for?! So I get penalised for becoming more environmentally friendly? 

As long as they are not Fig trees whose roots can damage the foundations of your house.

I remember a book by Eric Rolls - A Million Wild Acres, in which he touted an idea of a tree belt which (if my memory serves me well) would extended diagonally across the continent. 

At the time I can remember thinking, 'what a visionary idea': worth thinking about?

Don't know about Sydney councils, but I'd be more impressed if they didn't encourage and approve of the loss of our suburban trees with their passion for increasing housing density in our older suburbs. Each subdivided block is completely shorn of vegetation, levelled and 2 houses squashed in with no room for shady trees.

Also, new parking areas around venues are great expenses of bitumin without one tree, making parked cars like furnaces in summer in our sub-tropical climates-- makes for grumpy drivers and wailing infants until the air conditioning can do its magic. Do the council planners give thought to such things as climatic conditions.

Eucalyptus are 'widow makers', a fire risk in suburbs, a destroyer of roof valleys and guttering and cause cracking of foundations during dry spells they are such effective water pumps.

Beautiful trees that should never be planted in suburban backyards and in schools.

The federal policymakers are determined to push Australians into high rise flats just like the apartment block slums that have been causing social problems overseas.  It is to house the teeming numbers from the constant high numbers of mass migration.  Ponzie growth for a 'big Australia' is good for the federal budget and the big end of town.

More intensive housing leaves small shaded pockets of land and the inevitable concrete landscaping and roads leave very little land available for plantings. 

Hand out posters of shrubs and trees instead? With a tasteful thank you to the federal politicians and their 'Big Australia' for children being forced to play on concrete.  They should drop all sports and concentrate on basketball, the sport for small concrete pads in slums.

Good for you RnR, glad you rose above your genealogical mindset, as indicated by your comment.

Roles, shortly following release of that book, attracted some degree of flak from the establishment, challenging some of the books' (purportedly unsubstantiated) claims. Nonetheless, it made for an interesting read and certainly his idea - earlier mentioned - is worthy of further consideration. Plan B was probably 'on the money' re his mention of the Mad Monk idea, just needs someone with staying power... which sadly isn't a trait with most the current lot of pollies. Which begs the question - who's responsible?

Is this to make up for the millions of hectares of tree clearing NSW has been doing? 

https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/mar/11/nsw-laws-that-make-land-clearing-easier-reinstated-by-berejiklian-government

In the meantime koalas are heading for extinction at this rate of native vegetation clearing.

The high rise living is all part of the intended agenda 21 - 30 -- 

It is not just here in Aussie that so many trees are being cut down it in in the wonderful Amazon and all over the earth where there are magnificent forests  -- all being cleared   THIS is the cause of this main problem with the planet.

Our council has been giving away free trees for as long as we have been here too, but these days I wonder where people are supposed to plant them.

All the new developments popping up like mushrooms haven't even got room to roll a wheelbarrow between the houses (and units), let alone plant a tree. 

I wonder if there are any statistics about how many of these free trees handed out previously have become issues between neighbours - such as roots getting into sewers, breaking fences, driveways, etc, dropping excessive leaves and creating excessive shade on neighbours properties, etc. With the Councils usually supporting the Tree against everyone, not allowing them to be taken down!