Tree sitting
Encyclopedia
Tree sitting is a form of environmentalist
civil disobedience
in which a protest
er sits in a tree
, usually on a small platform built for the purpose, to protect it from being cut down (speculating that loggers
will not endanger human lives by cutting an occupied tree). Supporters usually provide the tree sitters with food and other necessary supplies.
Tree sitters have successfully prevented logging
of ancient old growth forests for months at a time, and in some instances have convinced logging companies not to cut trees in some areas. Sometimes, tree sitting is used as a long-term resistance strategy, with activists occupying trees for months or years at a time. On the other hand, tree sitting is often used as a stalling tactic, to prevent the cutting of trees while lawyer
s fight in the courts to secure the long-term victories.
When tree sitting occurs on private land, it is considered by some to be an act of trespassing. Some activists stand up to this charge in court,claiming a necessity defense- that the harm done by trespassing is negligible compared to the potential harm to the environment caused by the proposed logging. Sometimes logging companies will hire tree climbers to remove trespassers sitting in trees. Although it is the companies' legal right to do so, some treesitters are suing Pacific Lumber to challenge this practice. Most tree sitting in California
occurs on private land. In Oregon
, where there are more logging projects on public land
(National Forests
and BLM lands), treesitting is usually not trespassing but treesitters can be fined for violating closure orders or camping limits, or for erecting illegal structures.
The extractors are not actually deputized but police often show up to assist extractors and arrest tree-sitters. On March 17, 2003, more than 30 police arrived and enforced the closure of a public road to assist in the removal of two long-time tree-sitters from old-growth redwoods.
Most of the extractions in Northern California are done under the leadership of Eric Schatz of Schatz Tree Service, a well known professional arborist
. Schatz testified in court that he has removed 42 tree-sitters from trees.
Some of the more notable tree sittings include:
A tree village is an extension of the tree sit/tree house protest, involving several more tree houses.
The Fall Creek/Red Cloud Thunder Tree-Village was a long running example. It was a 6-year occupation of a small timber sale in the Willamette National Forest
at Fall Creek Oregon
US which ran from February 1998 to November 2003. It comprised seven houses of up to 5 occupants each tied together with rope 'traverses' 200 feet (61 m) high and up to 125 feet (38.1 m) between 'platforms'. This tree village was designed to be totally self sufficient with composting toilets, solar/wind power, communications, cargo lines between ground and other sits, individual rappel lines and hydroponic sprout farms. An estimated 1000 activists occupied the trees at various times. The forest occupied during the Fall Creek campaign remains uncut to this day.
Winberry Tree Village in the Willamette National Forest was another long-term occupation undertaken by Cascadian tree-sitters. The village consisted of two treehouses (160 feet high and 175 feet (53.3 m) high) and one suspension structure hung between trees. The Winberry village was occupied for 5 years. One tree house was two story, situated in a huge Western Red-Cedar
tree. It featured a bottom story built from branches in the manner of a bird's nest as well as a running water system.
The Nanning Creek treesit ("Bonanza") is centered around Spooner, a 290 feet (88.4 m) Redwood with a near 40 feet (12.2 m) circumference, one of the oldest unprotected trees remaining in the area. This is also a village setup. Nanning Creek is located in the hills overlooking the town of Scotia, America's last company-owned town and the site of Pacific Lumber's headquarters. The area was long protected as a Marbled Murrelet
nesting habitat, but recent changes in environmental law keep loggers out only for the nesting season.
"Fern Gully" is located south of Arcata, California, and north of the Nanning Creek sit. It is one of the few remaining tracts of old-growth in the Freshwater area. Fern Gully was started as a "Pirate" sit, unconnected at first from any organizations such as Earth First!
. By 2005, it had 22 trees tied together for transarboreal travel. The village was equipped with a raincatch system that transported water 40 feet (12.2 m) down to a running tap at the platform, as well as a solar panel at 207 feet (63.1 m) in a tree named Watsi. Around that time it was raided by Pacific Lumber contracted climbers. They did not extract a single person, instead cutting out unoccupied traverses, platforms and dreamcatchers. This was a major blow to the village, but the sit continues, and the area remains uncut.
"Upper Village" was a set of 3 redwoods, Jerry, Everstine/Diversity (a double trunk tree) and Anastasia. Jerry was one of Humboldt County's most famous redwoods. A woman named Jeny Card (aka "Remedy") stayed without touching ground for 361 days, and later a young man named Willow did the same for over 18 months. Amy Gershman (aka "Wren") stayed in Everstine for almost ten months, and was later extracted, arrested, and jailed. After she was released, she went to court, and her case ended in a hung jury
. Upper Village appeared on Da Ali G Show, and Willow was interviewed from the platform of Jerry by Tom Greene, who was doing a segment for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. No other tree has the extraction history of Jerry. Activists were forcibly removed from the tree on three separate occasions between March 17, 2003 and June 17, 2003. Each time, the tree-sit platforms were destroyed by climbers, but immediately replaced by activists. The Timber Harvest Plan for Upper Village expired in 2005, and the trespassers removed their platforms and traverses. These trees are located directly alongside Greenwood Heights road in Freshwater, California.
The "Ludlow" tree village consisted of three basic sits, one large traditional Western Australian sit and two new sits that were two levels and three levels consecutively; each allowed the sitter a separate area for sleeping and relaxing and one for storage, cooking and other activities; one featured a "sun-deck" for outdoor living. The Ludlow Tuart Forest was targeted, by the Cable Sands mineral sands mining company, for Titanium Dioxide, for products such as white paint and toothpaste to fortify the coating of depleted Uranium weapons. One person remained in one of the sits for 29 days, without leaving the tree once. The sits were removed but the concept has been used several times since.
Current EF! Tree-village in California (Spring 2011): A tree village is ongoing in the Ryan Creek watershed next to Eureka, California. Over 45 trees are now tied together, the tree-sits scattered amongst them. This is to interfere with clear-cutting and development plans by the Green Diamond Resource Company. The Earth First! Humboldt collective is organizing a campaign to disrupt logging of this Redwood forest. The company owns around 400000 acres (1,618.7 km²) of Redwoods in Humboldt and Del Norte counties making them the largest single landowner of Redwood forest. In December 2010, Green Diamond announced they now have plans with non-profit groups to try to turn approx. 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of the area, including the tree-village zone, into a community forest. The details on this plan are still mostly unclear as of May, 2011. EF! Humboldt website
permanent tree houses are common. One treehouse, BattleStar Galactica at the Manchester International Airport, held 12 people. Permanent tree-houses can be occupied for a year or more. They often have lock-on points for protesters to chain themselves to during eviction
s. Tree houses have also been used at Newbury bypass
.
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
civil disobedience
Civil disobedience
Civil disobedience is the active, professed refusal to obey certain laws, demands, and commands of a government, or of an occupying international power. Civil disobedience is commonly, though not always, defined as being nonviolent resistance. It is one form of civil resistance...
in which a protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
er sits in a tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
, usually on a small platform built for the purpose, to protect it from being cut down (speculating that loggers
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
will not endanger human lives by cutting an occupied tree). Supporters usually provide the tree sitters with food and other necessary supplies.
Tree sitters have successfully prevented logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
of ancient old growth forests for months at a time, and in some instances have convinced logging companies not to cut trees in some areas. Sometimes, tree sitting is used as a long-term resistance strategy, with activists occupying trees for months or years at a time. On the other hand, tree sitting is often used as a stalling tactic, to prevent the cutting of trees while lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
s fight in the courts to secure the long-term victories.
When tree sitting occurs on private land, it is considered by some to be an act of trespassing. Some activists stand up to this charge in court,claiming a necessity defense- that the harm done by trespassing is negligible compared to the potential harm to the environment caused by the proposed logging. Sometimes logging companies will hire tree climbers to remove trespassers sitting in trees. Although it is the companies' legal right to do so, some treesitters are suing Pacific Lumber to challenge this practice. Most tree sitting in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
occurs on private land. In Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, where there are more logging projects on public land
Public land
In all modern states, some land is held by central or local governments. This is called public land. The system of tenure of public land, and the terminology used, varies between countries...
(National Forests
United States National Forest
National Forest is a classification of federal lands in the United States.National Forests are largely forest and woodland areas owned by the federal government and managed by the United States Forest Service, part of the United States Department of Agriculture. Land management of these areas...
and BLM lands), treesitting is usually not trespassing but treesitters can be fined for violating closure orders or camping limits, or for erecting illegal structures.
Extractions
Tree-sitters in trees claimed by Pacific Lumber in Humboldt County have been subject to forced removal by hired tree-sit extractors. The practice started with a single extractor in the late 90’s but in 2003 Pacific Lumber hired teams of climbers to remove dozens of tree-sitters, particularly in the Freshwater area East of Eureka, California.The extractors are not actually deputized but police often show up to assist extractors and arrest tree-sitters. On March 17, 2003, more than 30 police arrived and enforced the closure of a public road to assist in the removal of two long-time tree-sitters from old-growth redwoods.
Most of the extractions in Northern California are done under the leadership of Eric Schatz of Schatz Tree Service, a well known professional arborist
Arborist
An arborist, or arboriculturist, is a professional in the practice of arboriculture, which is the cultivation, management, and study of individual trees, shrubs, vines, and other perennial woody plants...
. Schatz testified in court that he has removed 42 tree-sitters from trees.
List of tree sits
- Tree sitting in 1978 (the first tree sitting action) led to the protection of what is now the Pureora Forest ParkPureora Forest ParkPureora Forest Park is a protected area in the North Island of New Zealand. Within its rich rain forest are an abundance of 1000 year old podocarp trees. It is “recognized as one of the finest rain forests in the world”...
in New Zealand.
- Mikal Jakubal was the first American tree sitter. On May 20, 1985 he ascended a Douglas Fir in an area of the Middle Santiam region of Willamette National ForestWillamette National ForestThe Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of US state of Oregon.It comprises 1,675,407 acres making it one of the largest national forests. Over 380,000 acres are designated wilderness which include seven major mountain peaks...
that was in the process of being clearcut. While short-lived, his tree sitting action inspired a group tree sitting event by Earth First!Earth First!Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that emerged in the Southwestern United States in 1979. It was co-founded on April 4th, 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, and less directly, Bart Koehler and Ron Kezar....
activists that lasted from June 23 to July 20, 1985, when two Linn County, OregonLinn County, OregonLinn County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is named in honor of Lewis F. Linn, a U.S. Senator from Missouri who advocated the American occupation of the Oregon Country. By the 2010 US census the population of Linn county was 116,672 showing a 13.2% growth since the 2000 census...
sheriff's deputies wrestled Marylander Ron Huber from his tree after a day-long stand-off.
- Native Forest ActionNative Forest ActionNative Forest Action was set up protect the publicly owned native forests of the West Coast of the South Island of New Zealand from logging....
used tree sitting during its campaign to save the West Coast, New ZealandWest Coast, New ZealandThe West Coast is one of the administrative regions of New Zealand, located on the west coast of the South Island, and is one of the more remote and most sparsely populated areas of the country. It is made up of three districts: Buller, Grey and Westland...
native forests. In April 1997, the logging company, Timberlands West Coast LimitedTimberlands West Coast LimitedTimberlands West Coast Limited is a New Zealand state-owned enterprise based on the West Coast.It was formed to manage the native and exotic forests on the West Coast of the defunct New Zealand Forest Service....
destroyed one of the sites by deliberately swinging a tree from a helicopter into it without ensuring that it was fully clear of protesters. The CAA cleared the helicopter pilot of wrongdoing in a controversial judgment that was appeared to have been interfered with, according to leaked internal documents.
- Julia Butterfly HillJulia Butterfly HillJulia Butterfly Hill is an American activist and environmentalist. Hill is best known for living in a -tall, roughly 1500-year-old California Redwood tree for 738 days between December 10, 1997 and December 18, 1999...
, an activist in Humboldt County, CaliforniaHumboldt County, CaliforniaHumboldt County is a county in the U.S. state of California, located on the far North Coast 200 miles north of San Francisco. According to 2010 Census Data, the county’s population was 134,623...
became known for her 738 day sit (from December 10, 1997 until December 18, 1999) in a 180 feet (54.9 m), 600-year-old Coast Redwood tree she named Luna. Eventually, Hill and other activists raised $50,000 to spare her tree and a 200 feet (61 m) buffer around it.
- In 2002, two US environmental activists involved in tree-sitting protests died in separate accidents.
- In 2004, activists from GreenpeaceGreenpeaceGreenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...
and the AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n environmental organization The Wilderness SocietyThe Wilderness Society (Australia)The Wilderness Society is an Australian, community-based, not-for-profit non-governmental environmental advocacy organisation. Its purpose is to protect, promote and restore wilderness and natural processes across Australia for the survival and ongoing evolution of life on Earth.It is a...
hold the record for the world's highest tree-sit at 65m, in the Styx ValleyStyx ValleyThe Styx Valley is located adjacent to the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Site on the island of Tasmania. The Styx River is the main drainage system of the valley. It lies about 100 km northwest of Hobart, with the nearest town being Maydena....
, TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
. Peter (Peck) Firth spent 51 days up a giant Eucalyptus tree nicknamed Gandalf's Staff.
- In 2004, at least six tree sits were erected in Tuart trees at Ludlow Tuart Forest near Busselton in South Western, Western Australia.
- In 2006, two sits were built in Jarrah (Eucalyptus) trees at "Arcadia" Jarrah Forest near Collie in South Western, Western Australia. Two activists were removed and arrested but one had his charges dropped and the other went to court and was acquitted.
- In 2006, following a successful protest lasting over one year, tree sitters in Cathedral Grove (also known as MacMillan Provincial ParkMacMillan Provincial ParkMacMillan Provincial Park is a 301 hectare provincial park in British Columbia, Canada. Located 25 km west of Qualicum Beach and 16 km east of Port Alberni, the park straddles Highway 4 in central Vancouver Island. It is nestled on the western shore of Cameron Lake, and protects the...
), British Columbia, halted the removal of a number of old growth Douglas Fir trees which were scheduled to be to taken down in an attempt to calm traffic and improve the parking facilities.
- In May 2006, protesters at Titnore WoodTitnore WoodTitnore Wood is an area of ancient woodland to the north-west of Worthing in West Sussex. With neighbouring Goring Wood it forms one of the last remaining blocks of ancient woodland on the West Sussex coastal plain....
began a tree-sitting campaign against a major urban extension to the town of WorthingWorthingWorthing is a large seaside town with borough status in West Sussex, within the historic County of Sussex, forming part of the Brighton/Worthing/Littlehampton conurbation. It is situated at the foot of the South Downs, west of Brighton, and east of the county town of Chichester...
in West Sussex. Around 25 protesters created tree-houses and a network of tunnels. In March 2010, after nearly four years of tree-sitting, the local council voted unanimously to turn down the application for development.
- In 2006, 2007, and 2008, protesters in Berkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley, CaliforniaBerkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
sat in coast live oak trees to prevent the construction of a new sports facility by the University of California, BerkeleyUniversity of California, BerkeleyThe University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
. On September 5, 2008, the University began logging the grove, after winning court agreement. Four days later, after a little more than 21 months, the final four tree sitters surrendered to authorities, ending the longest running urban tree-sit in history.
- 2007, protesters of the University of California Santa Cruz's Long Range Development Plan set up a tree sit, in red wood trees, on the proposed site of a biomedical research facility.
- In 2008, a tree-sitter climbed an oak tree on the University of California Berkeley campus to begin advocating the democratization of the UC Regents.
- In 2000 after two years living in Mariah, a thousand-year-old tree, Nate Madsen descended. Both Pacific Lumber (PL) and the California Department of Forestry (CDF) signed off on the timber harvest plan, which means protection for Mariah for the moment. PL can still file another plan, but for now, Mariah seems safe. http://www.treesfoundation.org/publications/article-49
- In 2008, a tree sit was constructed in College Grove (remnant bushland), Bunbury, Western Australia and was removed after being occupied for three months. Another was promptly constructed nearby in the next stage that was threatened by housing development; it included a functional trampoline.
- In 2009, there are ongoing tree-sits in Humboldt County, Ca. to prevent logging of 100+ year old redwoods by Green Diamond (formerly known as Simpson). One of the tree-villages is defending the territory of an active Spotted Owl mating pair.
- In 2009, environmental activists from the Still Wild Still Threatened group in TasmaniaTasmaniaTasmania is an Australian island and state. It is south of the continent, separated by Bass Strait. The state includes the island of Tasmania—the 26th largest island in the world—and the surrounding islands. The state has a population of 507,626 , of whom almost half reside in the greater Hobart...
, AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
were forced down from tree sits in the Upper Florentine Valley by police acting in conjunction with Forestry TasmaniaForestry TasmaniaForestry Tasmania is a Tasmanian state government-owned corporation. It runs the state-owned forestry for tourism and logging including the Tahune Airwalk and Upper Florentine Valley.-Controversy:...
in two separate busts in January and May.
- In 2010, One of the tree-villages in Humboldt County,Ca. remains and has grown to include over 30 trees that are tied together with tyrolean traverses. Though Earth First! Humboldt will not say exactly how many people or sits are up there, they do say there is a crew of tree-dwellers. The Earth First!ers withdrew from the village bordering the suburbs in order to strengthen their defense of the older and more secluded of the two groves where many more wildlife species find habitat and refuge.
Tree villages
The Fall Creek/Red Cloud Thunder Tree-Village was a long running example. It was a 6-year occupation of a small timber sale in the Willamette National Forest
Willamette National Forest
The Willamette National Forest is a National Forest located in the central portion of the Cascade Range of US state of Oregon.It comprises 1,675,407 acres making it one of the largest national forests. Over 380,000 acres are designated wilderness which include seven major mountain peaks...
at Fall Creek Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
US which ran from February 1998 to November 2003. It comprised seven houses of up to 5 occupants each tied together with rope 'traverses' 200 feet (61 m) high and up to 125 feet (38.1 m) between 'platforms'. This tree village was designed to be totally self sufficient with composting toilets, solar/wind power, communications, cargo lines between ground and other sits, individual rappel lines and hydroponic sprout farms. An estimated 1000 activists occupied the trees at various times. The forest occupied during the Fall Creek campaign remains uncut to this day.
Winberry Tree Village in the Willamette National Forest was another long-term occupation undertaken by Cascadian tree-sitters. The village consisted of two treehouses (160 feet high and 175 feet (53.3 m) high) and one suspension structure hung between trees. The Winberry village was occupied for 5 years. One tree house was two story, situated in a huge Western Red-Cedar
Thuja plicata
Thuja plicata, commonly called Western or pacific red cedar, giant or western arborvitae, giant cedar, or shinglewood, is a species of Thuja, an evergreen coniferous tree in the cypress family Cupressaceae native to western North America...
tree. It featured a bottom story built from branches in the manner of a bird's nest as well as a running water system.
The Nanning Creek treesit ("Bonanza") is centered around Spooner, a 290 feet (88.4 m) Redwood with a near 40 feet (12.2 m) circumference, one of the oldest unprotected trees remaining in the area. This is also a village setup. Nanning Creek is located in the hills overlooking the town of Scotia, America's last company-owned town and the site of Pacific Lumber's headquarters. The area was long protected as a Marbled Murrelet
Marbled Murrelet
The Marbled Murrelet is a small seabird from the North Pacific. It is a member of the auk family. It nests in old-growth forests or on the ground at higher latitudes where trees cannot grow...
nesting habitat, but recent changes in environmental law keep loggers out only for the nesting season.
"Fern Gully" is located south of Arcata, California, and north of the Nanning Creek sit. It is one of the few remaining tracts of old-growth in the Freshwater area. Fern Gully was started as a "Pirate" sit, unconnected at first from any organizations such as Earth First!
Earth First!
Earth First! is a radical environmental advocacy group that emerged in the Southwestern United States in 1979. It was co-founded on April 4th, 1980 by Dave Foreman, Mike Roselle, Howie Wolke, and less directly, Bart Koehler and Ron Kezar....
. By 2005, it had 22 trees tied together for transarboreal travel. The village was equipped with a raincatch system that transported water 40 feet (12.2 m) down to a running tap at the platform, as well as a solar panel at 207 feet (63.1 m) in a tree named Watsi. Around that time it was raided by Pacific Lumber contracted climbers. They did not extract a single person, instead cutting out unoccupied traverses, platforms and dreamcatchers. This was a major blow to the village, but the sit continues, and the area remains uncut.
"Upper Village" was a set of 3 redwoods, Jerry, Everstine/Diversity (a double trunk tree) and Anastasia. Jerry was one of Humboldt County's most famous redwoods. A woman named Jeny Card (aka "Remedy") stayed without touching ground for 361 days, and later a young man named Willow did the same for over 18 months. Amy Gershman (aka "Wren") stayed in Everstine for almost ten months, and was later extracted, arrested, and jailed. After she was released, she went to court, and her case ended in a hung jury
Hung jury
A hung jury or deadlocked jury is a jury that cannot, by the required voting threshold, agree upon a verdict after an extended period of deliberation and is unable to change its votes due to severe differences of opinion.- England and Wales :...
. Upper Village appeared on Da Ali G Show, and Willow was interviewed from the platform of Jerry by Tom Greene, who was doing a segment for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. No other tree has the extraction history of Jerry. Activists were forcibly removed from the tree on three separate occasions between March 17, 2003 and June 17, 2003. Each time, the tree-sit platforms were destroyed by climbers, but immediately replaced by activists. The Timber Harvest Plan for Upper Village expired in 2005, and the trespassers removed their platforms and traverses. These trees are located directly alongside Greenwood Heights road in Freshwater, California.
The "Ludlow" tree village consisted of three basic sits, one large traditional Western Australian sit and two new sits that were two levels and three levels consecutively; each allowed the sitter a separate area for sleeping and relaxing and one for storage, cooking and other activities; one featured a "sun-deck" for outdoor living. The Ludlow Tuart Forest was targeted, by the Cable Sands mineral sands mining company, for Titanium Dioxide, for products such as white paint and toothpaste to fortify the coating of depleted Uranium weapons. One person remained in one of the sits for 29 days, without leaving the tree once. The sits were removed but the concept has been used several times since.
Current EF! Tree-village in California (Spring 2011): A tree village is ongoing in the Ryan Creek watershed next to Eureka, California. Over 45 trees are now tied together, the tree-sits scattered amongst them. This is to interfere with clear-cutting and development plans by the Green Diamond Resource Company. The Earth First! Humboldt collective is organizing a campaign to disrupt logging of this Redwood forest. The company owns around 400000 acres (1,618.7 km²) of Redwoods in Humboldt and Del Norte counties making them the largest single landowner of Redwood forest. In December 2010, Green Diamond announced they now have plans with non-profit groups to try to turn approx. 2000 acres (8.1 km²) of the area, including the tree-village zone, into a community forest. The details on this plan are still mostly unclear as of May, 2011. EF! Humboldt website
Tree houses
In the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
permanent tree houses are common. One treehouse, BattleStar Galactica at the Manchester International Airport, held 12 people. Permanent tree-houses can be occupied for a year or more. They often have lock-on points for protesters to chain themselves to during eviction
Eviction
How you doing???? Eviction is the removal of a tenant from rental property by the landlord. Depending on the laws of the jurisdiction, eviction may also be known as unlawful detainer, summary possession, summary dispossess, forcible detainer, ejectment, and repossession, among other terms...
s. Tree houses have also been used at Newbury bypass
Newbury bypass
The Newbury bypass, officially known as The Winchester-Preston Trunk Road , is a stretch of dual carriageway road which bypasses the town of Newbury in Berkshire, England...
.
See also
- Green anarchismGreen anarchismGreen anarchism, or ecoanarchism, is a school of thought within anarchism which puts a particular emphasis on environmental issues. An important early influence was the thought of the American anarchist Henry David Thoreau and his book Walden...
- Tree spikingTree spikingTree spiking involves hammering a metal rod, nail, or other material into a tree trunk to discourage logging by attempting to devalue the commercial use of the wood, reducing the economic viability of logging in the long term, while not threatening the life of the tree...
- Eco-terrorismEco-terrorismEco-terrorism usually refers to acts of violence or sabotage committed in support of ecological, environmental, or animal rights causes against persons or their property....
- Direct actionDirect actionDirect action is activity undertaken by individuals, groups, or governments to achieve political, economic, or social goals outside of normal social/political channels. This can include nonviolent and violent activities which target persons, groups, or property deemed offensive to the direct action...
- David ChainDavid ChainDavid Nathan "Gypsy" Chain was an environmental activist. He was killed by a falling tree in suspicious circumstances during a protest in California Redwood Forests against the Pacific Lumber Company.-Background:...
, activist who was killed during a non-violent tree sitting in the Redwood Forest of Northern California.
External links
- Audio recording of first EF! tree sitter making first climb 5/20/85
- Movies of tree-sitters living in 'Tree Village' at Fall Creek Oregon
- July 23, 1985 group treesit coverage in Oregon newspaper
- Review of 1985 Earth First! - treesitting actions in Oregon.
- Greenpeace - Styx Valley: Global Rescue Station
- Timber firm begins bringing down tree sitter - Article from when Wren and Remedy were extracted.
- Hung Jury in Tree Sit Case - Information Wren's trial after her extraction
- Free Petition website
- Tree-sitting history
- Earth First! Humboldt - Current Tree-sits 2009