The Indiana Forest Alliance responds to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs' offer to save certain trees: "We are trying to save a pre-settlement forest, not trees of a certain size within that forest. Multiple arborists and forest ecologists have advised us that the placement of the amount of infrastructure that the VA is proposing with this revised plan as well as the drainage of wetland soils that will be necessary to accommodate this infrastructure will likely result in the premature deaths of those trees that the VA is 'saving.' We know that there are many other sites where this cemetery could be put both inside Crown Hill Cemetery and elsewhere in other cemeteries in Indianapolis, none of which have been examined by the VA. Given the nature preserve, pre-settlement quality of this forest, we believe those sites should be examined first and that the destruction of this forest to build this cemetery will be a needless tragedy that will rob the citizens of Indianapolis of an irreplaceable asset." Please continue to contact Congressman André Carson. Ask him to take the necessary steps to preserve the sole old-growth forest in inner city Indianapolis which lies in his district. You can reach his Indianapolis office at (317) 283-6516. You can reach his Washington DC office at (202) 225-4011. Check the Indiana Forest Alliance's website at indianaforestalliance.org for more information.