Forest Defenders

Okay, so Green Diamond Resource Company is playing chess, not checkers like the now defunct Pacific Lumber Company. This company is actually thinking! Wow, amazing, eh. Or… maybe things aren’t what they appear to be…

Green Diamond has strategically (re: new markers) placed “Wildlife” markers on various old growth trees throughout the McKay Tract 60 acre THP (McKay-09) which is scheduled to begin “not before February 2009.”

Obviously the lines of communication are weak throughout the company, due to the fact that on Saturday August 23rd a Green Diamond forester placed a wildlife tag on a tree known as Millenia that sitters had been occupying; the forester looked up and acknowledged the tree sitters as they yelled “Hello!”

On August 28th the North Coast Journal published a story about the Green Diamond tree sit in which, Neal Ewald, Vice President of the Timberlands Division, had no idea about the tree sitters: “…was surprised to hear of the treesit. Ewald said he couldn’t remember the last time his company had had treesitters.”

Now why wouldn’t the Green Diamond forester notify anyone about the tree sitters? How peculiar…. And why is Green Diamond now going back and marking new wildlife trees after they already stated in their THP that “91 Wildlife trees have been marked in clear cut areas?”

Does anyone know the legalities of marking a wildlife tree, then removing it to cut the tree? Is this a possibility?

Is it because they, too, are trying to ride the wave of all the media hype that Humboldt Redwood Company is now receiving about “saving” old growth trees? Do they also want to save old growth and just not declare it so? Was marking the trees a subterfuge to use tree sitters as a tool to go running to the media screaming in joy: “YAY!!! Green Diamond is not cutting old growth!!”

Not sure. But it lends way to an interesting situation. As far as I’m concerned Green Diamond is the new Pacific Lumber if they are still cutting old growth. And ALL the companies are equally destroying nature if they continue to clear cut and use ridiculous loopholes of Habitat Conservation Plans (ha, what a joke!) to kill endangered and threatened species.

But you know what…. the CDF (California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection) is the ROOT of the problem because they are giving these companies the key — the green light — to commit these atrocities on Nature. CDF, no worries, we haven’t forgotten about you.

The battle continues…. It never stopped!

The title of the story is “What Now, Treesitter?” That has to be the most unfitting and ridiculous titles for such an article! What now??? Ha!… Do you think that it’s over?

…They won’t be cut, ever. That was the word, delivered in person on Aug. 12 by Humboldt Redwood Co. President Mike Jani, who hiked into the woods to two treesitter villages with his wife and several activists to see the old trees and talk to the treesitters. He told them it wasn’t his company’s policy to cut old-growth trees such as these. He said if they hadn’t sat in these trees, the trees surely would have been cut under the former company’s plan. He shook their hands and said, “Thank you.” Then they all walked around attaching pink “Do Not Cut” tape to the trees…

Here’s the article >>

In just over a week Action Camp will commence! Spread the word, gather your friends, and get ready for a week of trainings, skill-sharing, and action. Earth First! Humboldt is still seeking people who want to get involved and help out with the camp, so please get in touch with them. Hope to see you there!

Location / Directions

Go 20 miles south of Eureka on HWY 101, then 17 miles east of HWY 36. Latitude/Longitude: 40.4842 / -123.9056

People will be gathering at the CO-OP (Arcata) on the morning of the 5th, around 10AM, for carpooling.

Tree-sitters sitting in “Millenia” documented this very animated Northern Spotted Own while in an old-growth tree that resides directly inside a grove marked for clear-cut in February 2009 — the McKay Tract in Eureka, CA. Though the tree the owl was located in was a “wildlife tree” (marked not to be cut), then entire grove is planned to be cleared, greatly diminishing the owl’s already limited habitat. Under the government authorization of an “Incidental Take Permit,” Green Diamond (nice oxymoron, eh?) has the power to kill Endangered Spotted Owls, so they can make more green, green, green, money, money, money!!

Tomorrow morning (8/26/08), there will be a Humboldt County Board of Supervisors meeting at 9AM. Location: 825 Fifth St. Eureka

Make it out there to speak against this development that will lead to the destruction of 1000’s of acres of wildlife habitat, old-growth trees, coho salmon, and some of the largest second-growth trees in the entire county.

The Los Angeles Times published a piece on the Humboldt Redwood Company visit to the tree-sits (read article here »). It’s a pretty good article, but, again, I’m concerned about the media casting HRC in too good of a light. Let us hope that HRC’s actions of “saving” old-growth trees can be the impetus for Green Diamond Resource Company and Sierra Pacific Industries to STOP cutting “their” old-growth trees.

The larger issue here, regarding all of these companies, is that they all practice clear-cutting. Clear-cutting must stop. Sure, let’s save the old-growth. But let’s not let the positioning of ” saving old-growth” cloud our aims here. Animals are at stake. Poisonous chemicals are being deployed. Lakes and streams are being destroyed. Fish are suffering. The entire forest is suffering.

The real victory will come when these companies stop destroying the land, not from solely protecting old trees.

Less than 2 hours ago tree-sitters were discovered on Green Diamond Resource Company land by what appears to be a company Forester surveying the area. The Forester made communication with the multiple sitters by saying “hello” as he appeared to be placing ribbons and/or a marker on the occupied tree.

Activists have been active on this land for the past few months. Multiple old-growth trees have been located and documented; Endangered Spotted Owls have been seen in numbers living directly inside the groves marked to be cut by Green Diamond. Activists have encountered Spotted Owls in the actual trees they have been defending.

The old-growth Redwood, known as Millenia, towering well over 200 ft, is one the trees that sitters are currently defending and will continue to do so until Green Diamond declares this area off-limits for destruction.

The McKay Tract is comprised of 80 - 100 year-old Redwoods, perhaps the oldest second-growth in Humboldt County, last logged a few years into the 1900’s. Green Diamond is proposing to rezone the entire 2000 acres from Timber Production Zone (TPZ), to a residential area — potentially establishing 7000 new homes at the expense of Northern Spotted Owl habitat and old-growth trees. Insane. The McKay Tract also “includes 16 miles of fish bearing stream in the Ryan Creek watershed. Ryan Creek is the best coho producing stream in the Humboldt Bay area” says Jen Kalt of Humboldt Baykeeper and California Native Plant Society in a recent interview on KMUD Radio.

Yesterday I gave an interview to Channel 3 News, Eureka, CA, about my experiences with Mike Jani, Chief Forester of Humboldt Redwood Company and the saving of both tree-sits: Fern Gully and Nanning Creek in Humboldt County, CA.

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It’s already been a week since Forest Defenders broke the story of the Fern Gully and Nanning Creek Tree-Villages being saved from the greedy tight fists of Pacific Lumber Company and the buzz is still going strong. Just this morning Times-Standard and Indybay released stories on the tree-sits.

The Struggle Continues to Protect Ancient Forests

As happy as we Forest Defenders are, myself included, people need to understand that old-growth logging practices have not stopped. Clear-cutting has not stopped. Herbicide usage has not stopped. Killing of endangered and threatened species has not stopped.

Humboldt Redwood Company didn’t do the right thing, they did the only thing that was acceptable – to end the destruction of old-growth trees. Should we continue to pat them on the back and treat them like saviors? You can, but I surely won’t be doing so. It should be natural – a given – that old trees should never be cut under ANY circumstances.

Companies such as Green Diamond Resource Company and Sierra Pacific Industries would both do well to come to this ridiculously simple understanding – stop destroying the land! Live in harmony with the land. Land isn’t here for us to liquidate and squeeze money out of at the expense of wildlife habitat, clean air, and freedom for plants to survive just as we are able to (for now, at least).

This isn’t the end of tree-sitting – not at all. This isn’t the end of forest defense. As long as companies are liquidating forests, killing old-growth, clear-cutting, using herbicides, and killing threatened and endangered species, you can bet we’ll still be at it, every day, for asss lonnggg asss itttt takeeess……..

This isn’t the end, it’s the beginning of more victories to come.

Chief Forester of Humboldt Redwood Company (HRC), Mike Jani, offers insight into the management of the company and who’s really calling the shots. Supposedly HRC doesn’t like the “title stuff” too much. Hmm.. can we hold ‘em on that?

Mr. Jani did tell me to start calling him “Mike” ….