City hall dreams of federal cash with the same pent-up desire that consumes Canadian hockey fans, longing for the Stanley Cup to finally come home.

That’s why this year alone we’ll plant 180,000 trees, mainly across northern sections of our city, following an earlier $61-million grant from the feds. That many of those trees will subsequently die a slow death doesn’t matter, as long as administration gets its hands on the money.

In some ways, that’s fair enough. After all, Calgarians probably contribute more money per capita to the national coffers than other Canadians, compared to what we get in return. So, if there’s a chance for a little windfall, why not grab it with both hands?

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But planting trees in Calgary isn’t just a matter of sticking a sapling in the ground and adding water. It’s an unforgiving endeavour, and unless the city has a long-term plan to make sure these new trees survive and thrive, we’re headed for........

© Calgary Herald