Mendocino Redwood Blockade in Albion

On Thursday, July 19th, more than thirty people assembled on Albion Ridge Rd. before the gates to Mendocino Redwood Company's (MRC) new Timber Harvest Plans (THPs) on the Albion River. These THPs border the Enchanted Meadow, which the community defended and acquired in 1992.

Activists cited numerous reasons for the blockade. The consensus was that MRC was overly and irresponsibly logging the region, especially in light of the company's SmartWood certification (MRC wood is marketed as environmentally responsible).

Beginning at 5 a.m., activists prevented MRC crews from accessing the THP. However, independent contractors working a neighboring THP were allowed to pass the blockade. The blockade persisted until after 9 a.m., at which point the crowd complied with an order to disperse or face arrest.

Later that day, 15 activists hiked in to the THP site to stall logging operations. Falling was stopped for the day, and yarding was stalled for several hours.

While at the site, activists found numerous trees lying in and across class three streams, and a generally intense level of cutting.