Tree-sitters come down in California
People have taken turns living in the stunningly beautiful giant redwoods in Northern California for more than 20 years to prevent the trees from being cut down. Now, they've got only birds and squirrels among their branches.
The last two tree sitters who were among many during protests that lasted two decades in Humboldt County came down last week, according to the Associated Press, having been convinced by the new owners of the forest they would "spare the ancient trees from the saw."
For all intents and purposes, the great timber wars there ended, quite peacefully actually, despite the violence that marked the long battle between the lumber company that formerly owned the old-growth redwoods and environmental activists. The long battle included pepper stray, a car bombing and a civil lawsuit decided in activists' favor. The new owners, operating as Humboldt Redwood Co., have reportedly promised to protect organisms that have been alive since B.C. and avoid clear-cutting, a practice the company had aggressively practiced under its previous owner, Maxxam Inc.
The AP story notes "environmentalists are cautiously optimistic that it will do as it promises, including sparing any redwood born prior to 1800 with a diameter of at least four feet." Let's keep a close watch over them.
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