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9 <br /> the steep cutover slopes of the upper Siuslaw hills, but almost no <br /> one has been able to make them survive or perform well in the <br /> valley habitat of Eugene. Nurseries carry many other non - native <br /> dogwood species which do perform well. <br /> The Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum has for a long time been <br /> one of the few really great street tree specimens, especially in <br /> the deep rich alluvial soil of much of the downtown area. Many of <br /> the best of these were lost in the widening of 6th and 7th avenues. <br /> We think that young trees can be purchased from a Seattle nursery, <br /> so new plantings should be practical if precautions in siting are <br /> taken from the observations of past experience. This tree grows to <br /> 70 feet high and wide and does require extensive root room both for <br /> nutrition and for stability. In narrow parking strips of 6 or 8 <br /> feet the maples' tree roots heave up the sidewalks, and even the <br /> curbs, and pruning roots after the tree has matured endangers its <br /> stability. We must consider 10 feet as a minimum diameter for its <br /> site. There are no such sites available in the 1200 block of <br /> Willamette. <br /> Douglas fir is displayed prominently in the plan. Among <br /> conifers Douglas fir is distinguished by its dense foliage which <br /> makes an almost impenetrable sail in the wind. In their native <br /> habitats these survive high winds in the shelter of the continuous <br /> forest canopy. However as single specimens they are notoriously <br /> vulnerable to such winds as the '62 Columbus Day storm demonstrated <br /> by the jackstraw piles of firs on the U of 0 campus and throughout <br />