I saw your photo and short article about the mayor's plan to plant more trees. I have been upset about the Seattle Parks Service plans to cut in half and kill with poison a very healthy and very beautiful young Italian poplar tree in the Orchard Street Ravine in West Seattle. This tree currently supports the local bird population for nesting, food, and perching, and I enjoy viewing it from my home.

Why have I not seen any articles about the Orchard Street Ravine Parks Project and the details in the West Seattle Herald?

When I joined a work party Saturday I spoke with Katie Moller, the urban forester. She said the site needed more deadwood which is untrue because over years of neglect several large Madrona trees were choked dead by invasive vines and those are going to remain on the site as deadwood. Her primary argument seems to be that the tree will compete for light, water, and soil nutrients with future plantings.

I ask, why cut down a perfectly healthy tree to replace it with little plants that won't provide nearly the value that this established healthy tree is providing today? She wants to establish native plants. I am all for native plants but I also recognize the value of preserving healthy trees we have today that are providing all the value that Mayor Nickels wishes to re-establish by offering "free" trees to our citizens for planting.

I propose a better plan is for the parks service to establish the native plants in the very large areas they've cleared including a very steep hillside with a high erosion risk and leave the living tree for possible removal once the other areas have been re-established with natives. In the meantime the wildlife will continue to have the poplar tree habitat that is established there today.

I also learned Saturday that these Seattle Parks plans are not widely known. In casual conversation I found not one volunteer who knew that the tree would be killed. Please write an article for the Herald so more of our citizens will be aware of the Parks plans. You will have to act fast (and obtain a photo of that beautiful Poplar fast) because they plan to cut down the tree in days! To view the web site for the Orchard Street Park planning see, http://www.seattle.gov/parks/proparks/projects/orchardStRavine.htm.

In closing, I want to say that I was very impressed with the planning and progress for this park. The work that has been done shows promise for restoring the land to one that is cared for instead of a forgotten valley overgrown with non-native vines that are killing all the trees. However, I am very opposed to cutting down healthy (or dead) trees because our native birds are fighting for their lives as well and they need what little habitat is left during this transition.

On a side note, it is sad to say some of our "native" plants are having a hard time of it. Some of the Oregon Grape bushes in the park were dried up and looked dead from lack of water most likely due to our dry summer and global warming. It could be that the Poplar is the only plant that could survive unaided in that park in years to come if Global warming continues.

Barbara Banks

Othello Street