The trees located in the proposed Capital Hill development area are part of a watershed. A <br />watershed. They make up a vital forest that is part of a bigger vital forest that needs to remain as is. <br />This vital forested area should be rezoned and preserved. <br />The cutting down of trees for the Capital Hill PUD is not just a neighborhood issue, but a City of <br />Eugene issue. It is not just the people who live in the neighborhood who will be detrimentally <br />affected, but the City itself. That means everyone and everything. <br />The soil in this forest is moist. Without protection from sun-blocking tree cover, it will dry out. <br />This forest area is cool. Removing trees will result in more heat being held in. <br />This forest plays a critical role in the health of the citizens of Eugene. Cut down trees and the <br />particulate matter and pollution that already cause hazardous air will worsen. <br />These trees act as a protective barrier to the trees in Hendricks Park. Cut them down, and the trees in <br />Hendricks Park will be exposed, leading to degradation and ruin. <br />The trees of this forest take water from the soil and release it into the atmosphere. Air passing over <br />them picks up this moisture, fueling rain. Loss of these trees will result in an even worse flip to dry <br />conditions than we are already experiencing. When trees disappear, so does rain. <br />These trees retain water and allow it to be released slowly. Cut down trees, and water will travel <br />downhill faster, causing soil erosion, flooding and the dumping of pollutants and sediment into our <br />streams and rivers. <br />My husband and I live at the bottom the Capital Hill area. We already have year-round runoff <br />problems from rain and from the people above us watering. Our neighbor’s basement floods. More <br />development will make matters worse. <br />Many societies in past history have made the mistake of cutting down their trees, and paid the price. <br />One exception is the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The government has forbidden any development in their <br />forest watershed. They could cut the trees down to make way for high-priced homes and increase <br />their tax base, but they know that to do so would lead to their downfall. Without those trees, they <br />would be without protection and without rain. <br />Cutting down trees—even a few—will make Eugene just another hot, drought-ridden place that will <br />look like and be like every other city that has ignored its need for, and dependency on, its forests. <br />The best way to preserve a forest is to leave it alone. <br />Elizabeth and Jim Langston <br />1957 E. 28 Ave. <br />th <br />Eugene, OR 97403 <br /> <br />