Among Giants, Forest Defense Actions Continue

Among Giants

Ropes dangle down like vines from large green canopies set against a clear blue sky as white clouds roll past the view and a climber descends down the side of a massive redwood tree which is slated to be killed, or felled, by the Pacific Lumber corporation in a quest for a green that is neither necessary or sustainable in the markets of the modern consumer economy. The Forest Defenders of Freshwater, Aradia and the Mattole all share a common enemy a corporation that went from being locally based to being bought out by a Multinational Corporation which sought to use the forest holdings that had been harvested with wisdom up until 1985 when Charles Hurwitz took over the company. Since then mudslides, clear cuts, salmon die offs and mass worker layoffs is all that most of Humboldt County, California have known.

Looking away from the past and toward a future the forest activists which call themselves variously from “utopian tree pirates” to “mattole forest defenders” you see a youthful group of people which have decided to resist the unbridled consumerism of their parents for a sustainable future free of capitalism and built upon a foundation of eco-diversity and preservation of natural habitats. While the endangered Spotted Owl has been taken off the endangered list due to the militant tactics and mainstream tactics of others it habitat still remains under attack.

There are several forms of forest defense that activists engage in in the forests. One such tactic is to go out into a timber harvest area where loggers are actively engaged in felling and destroying entire hillsides of tall trees. North Coast Earth First! engaged in one such direct action. Activists have attempted to blockade gates and roads, early in the morning one such blockade was constructed at the logging deck. The same activists also went into the woods to confront loggers directly. We stumbled through hilly paths and listened to the buzz saws of chains cutting through large brown trunks to locate the fellers. Upon seeing them about a dozen activists stood in the fall path of the tree endangering their lives. The logger who is a contractor hired out from Columbia logging is from Washington state and is surprised by the level of resistance of logging amongst the locals. He stops his saw and radios into his boss that there are people in the fall zone, the logger is ordered to cease cutting and all loggers are ordered out of the woods as logging is halted temporarily. Later, the activists are detained by the local Sheriff’s department and told they are being investigated for interfering with PL logging. The logger refuses to cooperate with the Sheriff and the activists are released. The next day there are reports of an FBI investigation into an eco-terrorist attack on a PL loader at the spot of the earlier blockade which they claimed had been sabotaged by eco-terrorists causing $22,000 in damage to the loader and rendering it inoperable.

The most well known form of Forest Defense as popularized by Julia Butterfly Hill is that of tree sitting. Forest defenders take up position in trees that are to be felled by PL. Each proposed tree to be felled has a large blue stripe painted on it. Tree sitters set up platforms in the trees and live among the branches of the trees. Most of these tree sits continue for several months. The latest tree sits to go up in Humboldt County are those set in the wilderness of the Mattole Forest, which feeds the Mattole River. The battle now is for Rattlesnake creek section of the Forest. Forest defenders have previously established free states, autonomous zones inside the Forest. The latest tree villages are going up in proposed Timber Harvest areas of the Forrest. The luxuriant forest is a veritable canopy of verdant cover which houses not only tree sitters but many endangered species such as the Spotted Owl. Viewing areas that have been clear cut in the forest you see large mudslides and creeks choked with dirt thus killing the Salmon that use the rivers and creeks for reproduction. The battle in the Mattole is not simply one of man versus nature but also one of corporations versus communities, capitalism versus communalism.

More forest defenders are sought in the Mattole if you are interested please contact the North Coast Earth First! Forest Defense Hotline at (707)825-6598

If you live in San Francisco, the Autonomous Collective is a supporter and participant in forest defense. You can contact the Autonomous Collective at autonomouscollective [at] mutualaid.org. The Autonomous Collective is actively seeking to supply food, camping and climbing gear to Forest Defenders. Donations can be dropped off at 2940 16th St, Suite 216 in the Mission District.

Needs List:
Climbing Harnesses
Truckers Rope
Climbing Rope (static and dynamic)
Head Lamps
Caribeeners
Tents
Rain Gear
Gloves
Wool Clothing or Artificial Clothing that is Water Resistant
Wool or Thermal Sox

The AC resupplies tree sits every two weeks.