Tree Sitter Protecting Large Douglas Fir in Humboldt State Park From PG&E, Says Earth First! Humboldt
[Photo provided by Earth First! Humboldt]
Last night a local resident slept on a small platform in the crown of an old growth douglas fir in Humboldt Redwood State park. The tree, which is five feet wide and 150 feet tall, is marked for removal by PG&E.
The tree sitter, who goes by Mander, is one of several concerned locals and supporters who have been monitoring the power-line cuts.
“This is a healthy old growth tree, and it’s far from the power lines. They’re not just trimming it, they’re trying to cut the whole tree. Every previous power line cut left it standing, why is it suddenly a risk now?”
The occupied tree is one of many threatened old growth trees in the State Park, which are being cut with no opportunity for public input.”We know that this area, near fox camp road, is an important migration corridor between the Eel river and the King’s range. There have been a number of pacific fisher sightings right here. It’s near a northern spotted owl nest site. There are two active sonoma tree vole nests in the tree with me. The first time I climbed it, I saw a Humboldt’s flying squirrel, and heard a pair of spotted owls in the canopy nearby”[Photo provided by Earth First! Humboldt]
Mander plans on remaining in the threatened tree until the danger has passed.
“The state park has a mandate to protect habitat. They need to be out here contesting PG&E and protecting the remaining old growth in their care. Cutting trees isn’t the only way to do this. The state park should be demanding that PG&E install underground power lines through areas rich with old growth and late seral habitat.”
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Been awhile since we had a tree sitter
My neighbor just cut one down that size to clear 100 ft of defensible space around his house. 68 inches across at the stump… It wasn’t really a fire hazard per say, but more of a sunblocker for his greenhouse. It was one of two old growth firs on our side of the valley. It was really sad to see it fall. It landed on my property and took out 4 of my oak trees.
We can’t get pge out here to clear trees and overhanging branches away from the power lines or replace old leaning poles. We have both called, they send an inspector out to look, but no work gets done.
Before
After
“There’s a hole in the sky where a tree once was
Somebody’s making money….”
Just put an undercut in it. Once you start the back cut they’ll come out one way or another. When you don’t have a job you can do this stuff. Probably a Biden voter.
“Probably a Biden voter.”
What gave it away? The mask….outside…..alone was prolly a clue. That’s a Bernie voter. Different side of the same coin I suppose.
Right on! You hold PG&E responsible and double-check their decisions. I’m not always agreeing w/ EarthFirst but sometimes they are spot on the only ones stepping up for the critters and old growth and when that happens…I truly appreciate them
How come you are not out there with her?
Hear, hear.
Hear, here the call of the nut birdie!
Earth First! We’ll log the other planets later.
That ones been around since I was a kid Miguel. It’s classic.
Classic joke! I first heard it from…Earth Firsters! That’s the sign of a good joke- everybody thinks it’s funny. Might not agree with it but…it’s funny!
Me: Well, let me tell you about logging the great Sahara Forest. Reporter: That’s a desert! Me: It is now.
Does it make any sense that PG&E would go out of its way to cut down a tree that is not a risk? At least that would be a radical break from their past behavior when they had to be bullied into doing enough in the first place. Can you imagine the chaos of having to have a public hearing over all the trees they trim? Where is this tree? Why is the Park letting it be cut? There’s a lot of hot air but little substance in the press release. Can you imagine the screaming from the same people should PG&E disturb the roots of the trees by burying power lines?
PG&E have a new program. If the tree is leaning towards the power lines and IF it is tall enough to reach the lines, it is cut. They call them strike trees. They are taking thousands of them out my way. No THP. No RWQCB. No nothing. Just “too big to fail”.
“If the tree is leaning towards the power lines and IF it is tall enough to reach the lines, it is cut.”
Blame the libs who hold PGE responsible for forest fires instead of the government who demands PGE budget be spent on green boondoggle bullshit instead of powerline safety. Then call it capitalism and sit cluelessly in a fuckin tree with a mask and a Bernie sticker. Liberalism is a mental disorder!
Give it a rest dude, you are sounding ridiculous. Repeating the same thing over and over and over is a mental disorder, especially when you’re just doing it to piss people off. Why? Why ya gotta be like that? Chill…
Press releases generally should be kept short and not meander around too much – but since ya asked, the yellow tag says ‘rmv’, and a park ranger and PG&E supervisor have confirmed the planned removal. It is baffling to us, as well, that they’re planning on removing a tree that poses no reasonable threat to the powerlines.
Also, we are literally demanding that PG&E bury their power lines. No “screaming about damaging tree roots”. The powerlines run along Mattole road. Bury ’em along the road corridor. Even if they’re undergrounded along the current route, the previous, smaller cuts within the PG&E easement mean that there are no large trees there. The old growth trees at risk are set back, and outside the easement.
“Also, we are literally demanding that PG&E bury their power lines.”
No doubt you are demanding from PGE, who operates at the behest of the government, rather than going to the gov directly, all while screaming about capitalism.
After san bruno pge wanted to remove bunch of trees in the median of ygancio valley(i think) becauae theres a a gas pipe running alone there and roots from these trees that the city planted were a hazard. City fought it for 2 years. I think it came down to if the city accepts all responsibility for any damages caused then theyll let it go. City had them remoced 6 month later.
Maybe that should be the rule. If the park or a community wants trees saved then they should be responsible for maintaining it and liable for any damages resulting from it. Im pretty sure PG&E would go for that in a heart beat.
Are we sure that yellow tag means it’s marked for removal by PG&E?
Don’t some hunters use those to mark trails and points of interest?
Maybe it’s a message from Tony Orlando
https://youtu.be/7-RlLFxgCkk
Well done!
Yes, they are used to mark trails and points of interest, but it is illegal to hunt in the Park System, so I would say PG&E used the tape to mark the tree for cutting.
Is that the tag end of the roll hanging out of their pocket?!
Did you have to show her poop bucket 🤣😂
🤣😂🤣👍
Yes, when the Earth First people show up it is always a s**t show!!!
It’s the tree sitter shitter.
It’s just a bucket of snacks, don’t get so excited! Who would want to have a bucket o’ turds at bedroom level….
Contentious issue. Fire danger v. old tree…
How do we settle this without anyone getting hurt or anyone losing “face”.
What a dilemma.
Pretty easy – underground power lines. The lines run along a road corridor already. Easy solution. PG&E probably wouldn’t even have to pay for it, they get a ton of money from the state.
“Pretty easy – underground power lines.”
Liberals don’t understand the concept of limited resources, otherwise they would not be liberals. Would you like electric car power stations, windmills, etc. or underground power lines? Let me guess: both, and “the rich” will pay for it. Geee I can’t figure out why hamburger is $5 lb. Must be capitalism.
It seems that your entire point is “you are a liberal, therefore I hate you”… But it’s not that simple on the ground. I assume you enshrine and hold sacred private property? PG&E contractors are cutting trees off their easement in people’s yards. They say they won’t, but they sure as hell do. They’re spending half a million dollars per mile to cut a huge corridor through the state park and surrounding properties, and what next? They’re doing this off state money. Ten years from now, all that closed canopy, mature forest will be flammable brush – are they going to maintain it? They sure haven’t in past decades. After this blitz of expensive tree clearing, we’re all going to be left with a hazardous, flammable mess.
Trust me PG&E would love to bury all lines Underground and whatever saftey measures you can think of. Thats because almost all capital expenditures are paid for by rate payers and they get a guaranteed rate of return, a low percentagelike 2 or 3 % but still guaranteed. But ratepayers dont want it. Most people think rate payers are people like you and me but theyre not. Theyre also big manufacturers, electric generators, oil companies and refineries. They hold much more sway than you and I. So when pge asks for $1 in its people like them that argues against it and in the end pge gets maybe 50cents.
This forces pge to prioritize certain work in front of others and wait another 4 years for a rate case to try and get capital for the work that wasnt done and the interveners do the same thing.
Once again, I can’t help but admire these Earth First! people. I don’t even necessarily agree with them. I just admire them and the fanatical dedication that moves them to do stuff like live up in trees to prevent their being cut down. Very few people have it in them to go to such lengths to advance their cause. Which just goes to show that history is made by determined minorities, not massive majorities.
You mean determined idiots don’t you?
Hear, hear!
Long as they don’t fuck with me, I’m good with it.
Heard that!
“Which just goes to show that history is made by determined minorities”
Unfortunately these determined minorities are often fucking idiots, who don’t understand the very causes they are so passionate about. Liberals, advocating for their own enslavement via government edict comes to mind.
Got to love all the historical accomplishments of fanatics like: the Spanish Inquisition, WW1 and the Russian Revolution. Good times no hangover.
Got a few of these with conk in them, will rent them out cheap, not like you can make any money trying to log. Mills are full.
I frankly feel that PG&E should place that the power lines underground right along with that tree sitter. I am sick and tired of these so called Earth First people always causing some type of problem. She got what she wanted, to be in an article with her picture. I sincerely doubt that she could even start to climb that tree!
Spoken like a true sociopath! I actually feel (empathy) sorry for you, and wonder where our culture let you (so far) down…
Upvote!
Kiss my chainsaw city city boy!
Martin has taken a couple of hits from a “widow” maker.
You are the one with Mass brain damage handle there woodpecker!
Hey Martin- sometimes I don’t agree with their particular cause or approach either. But then sometimes they are the only people with the guts to stand up and put themselves on the line to protect what little bit we (including the salmon and forest critters) have left of the natural world. You sound bitter and I’m sorry. If Hurwitz had no resistance he would have liquidated everything. For his greed. We need some resisters- We need some balance. And we need nature. Nature doesn’t really need us.
I am not bitter! The earth first nuts are here for one reason – to cause a damn problem when a tree is involved.
Thank you for caring for the little nature we have left.
Yeah, because we’re running out of nature-smh!
For someone who believes they are so smart and continually claims everyone else is an idiot, you really don’t understand a damn thing.
Wouldn’t burying the lines also harm trees?
The powerlines are already next to a road, and previous power line cuts have taken out many of the older trees directly under and around them. The few remaining biggies are set back from the powerlines, and the damage to their roots would be minimal – certainly better then cutting them!
Why the mask ? Out in the forrest.
It’s a virtue signal.
Protecting her from the smell of the potty bucket!
I would venture to say it is so they cannot be identified.
It’$ all about the Benjamin’$ $adly… I bet they or someone is trying to profit off that tree on PGEs dollar probably lol
What the heck kind of power lines run through the forest? Got to be a better way.
“This is a healthy old growth tree, and it’s far from the power lines.”
If they cut it they’re evil capitalists/enviromental terrorists. If they don’t, they are responsible for forest fires and it’s capitalisms fault……even though the decisions they make are at the behest of the government COMPLETELY! Liberalism is a mental disorder!
Where were all the Earth Firsters when the cannabis growers cut all the old growth for their grows? Occupied and polluted critical habitat on public lands?