Saving the Vanishing Forests of the World

I wonder whether people in Southern California realize that our chaparral-covered hillsides are our forests? The relentless scalping and leveling of those hillsides and canyons brings rivers of mud down from the hills and into the streets. And there goes our valuable topsoil. More than that, the papering of the land with roofs and cement destroys the capacity of the land to absorb the rainwater and thus replenish the water table--now low and getting lower.

The urgent need is to plan viable solutions to the problems now, before there is nothing left to save. All levels of government should make inventories of hillsides, canyons, forests, agricultural land and other open space, then target the areas that should be saved and put into place a plan for preservation.

ALICE LEVY

Glendale