United We Treesit

United We Treesit
The Humboldt Forest Defense Update
By Humboldt Forest Defense http://humboldtforestdefense.blogspot.com/
First published in EarthFirst! Journal @ http://earthfirstjournal.org/article.php?id=283

As developers and logging companies push farther and farther into the wilderness, leaving a wake of destruction in their path, it is comforting to know that there are still a few places that have been left untouched. Fern Gully is one of these places, where life still flourishes for trees and plants, forest creatures and fairies.

The Fern Gully treesit village in Humboldt County is one of the longest-running forest actions in Northern California. Defenders protect a glorious grove of ancient redwood, Sitka spruce and Douglas fir trees with their hearts, minds, spirits and bodies.

Fern Gully, with towering trees including Libertal, Sundance, Patience and Watsi, has been a hotspot in recent years for forest defense actions. Maxxam/Pacific Lumber (PL) plans to log directly above Freshwater Creek, across from an elementary school. Each immense and magnificent tree in the gully stands on a steep, fern-covered slope. Destroying this awe-inspiring area would not only devastate precious habitat, it would also increase silt erosion into the already heavily sediment-impaired creek.

Fern Gully is walking distance from US Highway 101, near a residential area. It is unique for an uncut forest to survive so close to development, especially with ancient trees vanishing at an alarming rate.

Fern Gully is in immediate danger. Months ago, when forest defenders thought the gully was in the clear due to the long-awaited expiration of PL’s logging plan, PL got the California Department of Forestry to extend the plan for at least another year. After defending Fern Gully for more than three years, we will continue to guard the sacred area. Please help us save one of the last groves of ancient forest. In just a few work hours, this centuries-old ecosystem could vanish.

Meanwhile, logging has recommenced in the Nanning Creek area of the Eel River watershed, only a few miles east of PL headquarters in the soon-to-be-sold-off company town of Scotia, California. Logging in Nanning, which began 10 days before marbled murrelet nesting season ended in September, threatens to wipe out one of the last commercially owned ancient redwood stands. Forest defenders remain determined to do all they can to protect the Timber Harvest Plan, aka Timber Holocaust Plan.

The forest that remains after last year’s logging in Nanning is home to endangered species, including the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet. Early morning gate blockades (often including children), rallies, lockdowns and enduring treesits make up the short her/history to protect some of the oldest beings on Earth.

Nestled in Nanning Creek, two massive trees—dubbed Spooner and Grandma—enchant their protectors with resident flying squirrels, neighborly salamanders, and treetop fern and mushroom gardens. Spooner—more than 42 feet around and 290 feet tall—and Grandma—attached to her Siamese twin, Grandpa—rest on the edge of a cliff directly above the Nanning Creek watershed and are likely the largest trees ever defended by sitters here. With the help of traverses, treesitters are protecting the trees that hold together the steep hillsides.

After a storm in December, 10 trees near the Spooner treesit village fell to the forest floor. Due to recent logging, an area that has sustained itself for millennia is now vulnerable to one night of storms.

Please support the Earth through persistent action and participation.

For more information or to donate time, energy or resources, contact Humboldt Forest Defense, POB 28, Arcata, CA 95518; (707) 845-9046 (direct line to ground support); (707) 618-9047 (Fern Gully pager); (707) 618-9181 (Nanning Creek pager); http://www.spoonerdirect.org.

More photos of Spooner! at http://www.insurgentphoto.com/ncef.html