If only we had more people who feel the way Jackie Swope does about preserving the trees and the natural beauty of our area (Sept. 27 letter).

Every time I see more trees bulldozed down for the sake of progress, my heart breaks. I understand people need homes. What I don't understand is why so many trees and so much land must be destroyed to create these residences.

It takes time and money to replant, and years for young trees to grow up. Why can't we work with nature rather than against her?

A great example of selfish destruction sits right behind my home on Hill Street. Only a few months ago, this lot was a beautiful, wooded deep ravine in a hillside. No one would ever build there! So people in this neighborhood thought.

After all, there are much better lots around for building on. But, much to our chagrin, someone did buy the lot and did decide to build on it. The piece of property was turned into a big, ugly eyesore with plenty of erosion problems.

A large amount of the property ended up in my next-door neighbor's backyard during the August flashflood that hit this area of town. Needless to say, my neighbors are not very happy about this situation.

After all, a once-beautiful piece of property on Hill Street now sits there, ugly and forlorn. And what about the stability of the land on which the house is being built? Will the house end up sliding down the hill someday, too?

If we don't try harder to preserve our world (and that includes saving our trees), eventually we won't have a planet Earth! So, let's get out there and save those longleaf pines!

Cyndi Schoenhals

Southern Pines