Salmon River Tree-Sits Blockaded by Federal Agents

Federal agents are blockading three tree-sits in the Klamath National Forest near the Salmon River. Small print signs have been posted along the road that leads to the tree-sits, but are illegible from a moving car. The signs state that this area of National Forest has been closed.

Columbia Helicopters, an international company that specializes in helicopter logging steep and unstable slopes, are clear-cutting the National Forest, which is, of course, why the tree-sits are there. Clear-cuts destroy water quality, endangered species, and the forests natural resistance to fire.

Two men attempting to visit and photograph the tree-sits were detained for forty minutes Sunday by three federal agents who ticketed them. While the men were detained they witnessed additional trucks of federal agents moving into the area. The two men must appear in federal court in Redding on Tuesday.

The tree-sits have been cut off from their ground support. Attempting to starve tree-sitters out of the trees is an old tactic that doesn’t always work, and can result in a standoff between hunger striking tree-sitters and deforesters. It is not yet clear whether the forest service and federal agents will attempt to extract the tree-sitters.