November 16, Forest Defenders took to the trees in Humboldt County on land owned by Sierra Pacific Industries or SPI, the largest landowner and biggest clearcutter in California. Activists are risking arrest to call attention to corporate logging of large fire-resistant trees, damage to water quality, and other destructive environmental impacts.
Perched 100 ft up in a daring attempt to slow down the destruction, a bold forest defender who goes by the name “Oats” is now living in this ancient tree. Activists have been setting up blockades on the main access road into this area for more than six years. SPI gained access and has begun the process of clear cutting ancient trees that pre-date the state of California.
The health of these fire resistant forests is crucial to protecting the health of our planet. This type of timber extraction leaves the forest slashed, dried out and fire prone. Diverse forests are less prone to fire, and clear cutting forests leads them to be much more vulnerable to wildfires. Old temperate rainforests stand as a safeguard against climate change, serving as carbon sinks at higher rates than any other forest type.
Here’s a link to the Facebook page of group involved: https://www.facebook.com/Save-the-Mattoles-Ancient-Forest-572103586221093/
Photo: “Rise for Climate, San Francisco March, September 8, 2018” By Bob Dass is licensed under CC BY 2.0
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