"I can't think of a city that makes a more intense effort in studying and reporting on a tree before a decision is made," Snyder said. "The more you know about a tree the better decision you can make."

Oregon is a leader in tree production in the country, and finding importable trees that are larger than those produced in Oregon is difficult, Snyder said.

Snyder discussed a program called the Legacy Tree Program, which he said was created as a way to "honor and recognize exceptional trees in the community."

Citizens are encouraged to nominate trees they feel are worthy of being included in the program, Snyder said.

Though the program does not protect trees from removal, inclusion in the program could be seen as a symbolic gesture of the neighborhood's appreciation of trees, Snyder said.

Snyder encouraged the association and neighborhood residents to attend a Feb. 15 meeting at Campbell Community Center to discuss the future of the West University Park. A top priority of the Eugene Parks, Recreation and Open Space Comprehensive Plan is to "enlarge or replace" the park, Snyder said.

"The fact that it's there and has high priority is due to the work of the neighborhood association," Snyder said.

About 15 neighborhood residents attended the meeting, five shy of the 20 needed to discuss a proposed resolution from community activist Zachary Vishanoff regarding the University's placement of a new basketball arena.

Vishanoff wants the association to pass a resolution asking the city to hold a series of public forums about the arena, which the University is looking to build at the Williams' Bakery site on the corner of East 13th Avenue and Moss Street.

"We have to have a voice there," Vishanoff said. "This can give us that voice."

Association Second Vice Chairwoman Kellyn Gross commended the proposed resolution, calling issues like addressing the placement of the arena "the whole purpose we exist" as a neighborhood association. "It shouldn't just be an issue between the University and a company," Gross said.

Ward 3 City Councilor David Kelly said the city is not in a position to act on the proposed arena because of existing laws that permit commercial use of the bakery site. "Under the laws that exist, the city can't prohibit it," Kelly said.