PORTLAND, Ore.  - Prostitution in northeast Portland is a big problem, according to residents who live along Northeast 82nd Avenue.

Police say they are working hard to combat the problem, adding that recent arrests included 46 women and 16 men.

One woman who lives in the area even changed her landscaping after several trysts took place in the front of her home.

Jan Zugman says she removed a large Japanese Maple tree from her front yard because prostitutes and johns were having sex in her front yard between the tree and the front of her home.

A ring of flowers and dirt patch now mark where the tree once stood. Zugman has lived in the home for 30 years, just one block from 82nd Avenue. She says she is not planning on moving.

Zugman says she has met some of the prostitutes and that many of the women were drug users addled by their addictions. Several of Zugman's neighbors have moved out of the area due to the prostitution activities.

Maureen Perry, who works at the Animal Wellness Center on Northeast 82nd Avenue, says adult stores located across the street hold provocative activities like bikini car washes to promote their businesses.

Perry says many customers and business owners are tired of the prostitution problem.

Portland police spokesman Sgt. Brian Schmautz says the prostitution trade brings physical assault crimes, drug problems and property crimes to nearby neighborhoods.

Police also say that much of the prostitution activity is centered near the adult stores.

Schmautz says johns who pick up prostitutes run the risk of getting their vehicle seized and going to jail.

He says police take the problem seriously and will continue to work with undercover officers in problem areas.

Under Oregon law, seized vehicles must be claimed by all persons listed on the title, which means persons caught with prostitutes going to pick up their car must sometimes bring their spouse along as well.