Why not force councils to plant thousands of fruit trees.?

Question

we are being warned of global food shortage.We are constantly warned of the effect of world deforestisation and global warming.We spend millions importing apples and pears etc...

Answer 1

Because we would spend millions forcing people to plant trees. Loggers, AKA the people who cut down trees A LOT re plant them after theyre done. Thats how we make loads of wood products every year and we keep doing it with no problem.

Answer 2

why not plant trees yourself, rather than expect the council to do something..... money doesn't grow on (fruit) trees y'know

It takes a while for a fruit tree to come into fruit.. in some cases it can take upto 10 years.

you then have the problem of picking the fruit, its that that killed most UK apple production, the inability to get people to pick the fruit at the times required for a price the customer was prepared to pay.

Answer 3

lol like it! but there's always they greedy b*****d that will take more than their fair share!

Answer 4

Most of them actually require a fair deal of maintenance, far more than the sugar maples they usually plant.     Often that maintenance involves pest control - they'd be in the parks putting nets over the trees.    And then someone has to pick the fruit, and then if they just leave the trees open for people to pick their own, someone falls off the top branch and sues the city.....

I agree that it might still pass a cost-benefit test but you asked for the reason and that's the reason.

Answer 5

they are a lazy bunch and only deal in matters what they care about which isn't much. but the public can start Doing something and if you are really persuasive make them listen. direct action to the lazy

Answer 6

Because private companys would lobby them not to, cause they would lose money. The government bows down to private power.

Answer 7

Because when the apple ripens they might be a health and safety hazard when they start to fall! LOL.

Answer 8

Because the only people who can force the council to do anything are the government/ parliament, and they clearly don't give a toss what you spend your millions on, as long as they get a big fat slice of it.

Instead of the minor change you suggest, why don't we (the people) stage a massive non-violent protest at the way our own and other western governments are making a complete mess of the world we live in, and enforce some real changes, like stopping all the wasted 'defence' spending. Incidentally, am I the only one who has noticed that the last threat any foregin army launched at mainland British soil was the Germans in the 1940's (Please don't try to tell me that a few islands off Argentina are in any way part of this country- they are one of the last vestiges of a murderous and wrong empire, as is Gibraltar). If we have had nearly seventy years without anyone trying to invade us, and if we have the dreaded nuclear weapons, what is it that we are actually "defending"?

I suggest that if we put the defence budget to good use, and then the country's labour force was properly employed, we could make a massive change to the environment that your grass verge fruit trees would not. We could have all the fit and able bodied dole-scroungers out in the fields for a start, and they could help us grow more food, and keep our country clean and tidy. I don't really enjoy paying taxes to buy the local chavs their burberry caps, c**p tracksuit pants, and alcohol and drugs. Perhaps if they were made to work for a living they would get an idea of how hard life can be if we do not work together to improve the world around us.

Anyway, you raised a question that has far more answers than the fruit trees would offer, though they might be part of an overall strategy. Many of the fruits we import don't grow well here, such as oranges, but we can indeed grow apples and pears, so the idea is not wrong. It simply doesn't go far enoguh- that is my only comment.

Take care...

Answer 9

good idea.i plan to plant some when ive moved i always said i wanted my kids to plant one each

Answer 10

Councils get their money from taxpayers... us.

If we want to spend money on combatting AGW, there are many more efficient ways of using that money. Although a few more fruit trees wouldn't hurt!

People tend to forget that we are the government.

Instead of forcing councils to plant fruit trees, why don't we, as individuals, plant fruit trees (the answer will be the same, e.g. "too expensive for minimal return in 20 years" or "would rather spend the money on insulation", etc).

Answer 11

did YOU know 80% of the Earth's Oxigen DOESN"T come from trees??!!!!

Answer 12

This is one of the ideas that is already being done, not by forcing concils to do it but by towns and people themselves. The second link Transition Towns is rapidly becoming a worldwide movement, the idea came from Permaculture.

1. INCREDIBLE EDIBLE TODMORDEN

http://incredible-edible-todmorden.com/

2. TRANSITION TOWNS

http://www.transitiontowns.org/

3. PERMACULTURE

http://www.spiralseed.co.uk/permaculture...

Answer 13

Because they would say they don't have the budget to do so.

Answer 14

very good idea, however as i work for the council,unfortunatly, i know they would not put there hands in their pockets. instead they would expect this to be carried out by a local charity. then and only then would they back it as long as they weren't spending any money. i know its ridiculous if the council had half the brains of some of us many problems wwould be solved.

Answer 15

Council tax bills

Why should i have to pay more for the cleaning up and maintenance of a fruit i dont even like?

Global warming...isn't that  officially called climate change now and unproved...just used as an excuse to tax and control.

We all have a choice and it should remain that way.



If you like apples by all means plant a tree and save yourself some money but don't come asking me for some. And next time your bombarded with propaganda BBC news style.....ask yourself where are these warnings coming from and why.

Answer 16

Yer I know I thought so too from the tropicana ads they could plant like loads of oranges and apples etc. but I guess if someones apple had a maggot in or they got ill from eating it they would sue the council and it would cost loads of money anyway so they'd be reluctant to do it

Answer 17

Because someone has to pay for it (meaning us the taxpayr) and while it seems like a good idea at first, were the ones who are going to suffer to add another tax cut out of our checks! lame. If you want apples, grow an apple tree in your backyard!