That's not the only reason why the San Jose Water Co. is hoping to start logging trees on 1,000 acres of its 5,000-acre property near Lexington Reservoir, Lake Elsman and Lake Williams.

It's also for safety.

The water company is going to submit a formal plan to the California Department of Forestry asking permission to log part of the property as a way to control fire and protect water quality, Andrew Gere, director of operation and water quality for the water company, said.

"We're certainly not going to hide the fact that we are not giving these trees away, but we don't have unbridled ability to convert resources into cash," Gere said. The average tree in the Santa Cruz Mountains is worth between $200 and $700.

The profit from the trees will be used to provide maintenance and improve the infrastructure on the property.

"But money is not the biggest driver," Gere said.

After nearly of year of research, San Jose Water Co. has chosen Big Creek Lumber to help it prevent forest fires, protect water quality and avoid erosion.

A substantial part of the water company's property was burned in the 1985 Lexington fire.

After a water sanitation survey in 1995, and again in 2000, it was required that the company identify potential sanitary hazards, both manufactured or naturally occurring, Gere said.

Realizing that a spreading fire could contaminate the water, Gere said, "we are doing what we can to make fires more defensible." This includes thinning out parts of the forest, which has redwoods and Douglas firs.

The Los Gatos Creek Watershed is the primary supply for the residents of Los Gatos and Monte Sereno--10 percent of the water company's overall water supply, Gere said.

While it is important that the company protect its water supply, Gere said it is also important that the company maintain a positive relationship with its neighbors.

"As a company, we know the folks that live in and around the land are our neighbors, and we want to keep a dialogue with them. We encourage folks who have questions and concerns to contact us," he said.

After a July informational meeting, hosted by the water company and Big Creek, some residents expressed concern about noise, erosion and logistics. Some neighbors and residents have questioned the necessity for the logging.

"This just smells like a logging operation for profit, not for fire safety," said Terry Clark, a Los Gatos mountain resident whose home is across from the water company's property. There will be a meeting for residents and concerned community members at noon on Sept. 11 at Lexington School, Clark said.

For the owner of the Davenport-based Big Creek Lumber, Bud McCrary, opposition to logging is nothing new.

"I've seen it all--people handcuffed to trees, people camping on trees ... ," he said.

Self-proclaimed "tree hugger" Monte Sereno resident Bob Moncrieff is one of the residents who is weary of the logging plans. He attended a meeting with about 30 residents on Aug. 7.

"My impression was that the residents in the area were concerned. I did not hear anybody voice their support for the logging," he said.

Moncrieff is part of an environmental organization, the Loma Prieta Sierra Club.

"The Sierra Club is not against logging per se; it's against excessive and irresponsible logging," he said. While he said he has heard that Big Creek has a fairly positive reputation, he said there have been concerns raised about their brush removal tactics.

Clark, however, who is not associated with an environmental club, wants to make sure that the logging is really in the best interest for everybody--not just for the corporations.

"When I stand out and look across the road at the little ridge line, and I see those incredibly beautiful trees; the thought of [them] being taken down for a commercial operation makes me sick to my stomach," Clark said.

Gere, however, has tried to assure residents that the cutting will not be done in vain.

"It helps us do proactive action for our land," he said.

And McCrary reminded the neighbors that it's not a clear-cutting process, much like was done in the 1800s to the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Instead, it will be "single-tree selective harvest," which will last for about 15 to 18 years. Registered professional foresters will mark trees that would help thin out the forest, which is not only a technique for preventing fires, but it is also a way to encourage tree growth, Bob Berlage, communications director for Big Creek, said.

McCrary, 78, thinks that no matter what he says, some folks will always oppose the logging of trees.

And he said he respects their opinion.

In between steps in the redwood-heavy forest that was thinned seven years prior, McCrary turned.

"But I think I love trees more than anybody," he said.