The Pilot Reforestation program is jeopardizing the character of our
Neighborhood and many residents on Cotton request cessation or
withdrawal from the program. The first sentence on the Menlo Park City
website states: " Menlo Park, a Tree City USA community, is a quiet yet
vibrant city of pleasant, tree-lined neighborhoods and friendly people."
Hillview Manor, generally, and Cotton street, specifically, with its
broad beautiful uniform canopy of Liquidambar trees is the epitome of
that description. The Reforestation program substantially risks the
defining character of our neighborhood.

The Program mandates a change in type of trees and instituting a variety
of trees among other things. We have no objection to the gradual and
selective removal of trees in poor health or structure. We do object to
the change of our neighborhood from a pleasant "monoculture" tree lining
of large, beautiful, mature, Liquidambar trees, even if messy or
potentially troublesome, to a variety of relatively minuscule trees of
varying types. That change while perhaps making sense from an arborist
or prudent tree management context makes no sense from a neighborhood
standpoint, and in fact, may well change the defining character of our
neighborhood. Most neighborhood residents have lived here a long time
and value our neighborhood traditions of independent living in a
gracious gathering of single story beautiful homes, well landscaped,
under a canopy of huge beautiful similar trees, Liquidambar. Let us
keep it so. Thank You.

George and Jan Fisher, 1121 Cotton Street, Menlo Park, Ca, 94025
Received on Sat Jan 20 00:47:03 2007