California. September 12th marked the expiration of the Long Ridge timber harvest plan (THP) in the Mattole watershed. After 5 years of fierce direct action and multiple months-long road blockades, tree-sits, and tripods to save the Mattole forest, this day conjures both somber and celebratory emotions.
Originally publushed by Save the Mattole’s Ancient Forest Facebook page. Image above: Rally at Foxcamp Gate – September 8th, 2019
Despite the fact that HRC managed to log and herbicide a portion of this ancient forest, relentless resistance from the community and devoted forest defenders succeeded in saving a significant amount of forest that would have other wise been logged by HRC.
Tremendous love and gratitude to the hundreds of people who showed up over the years and threw down hard to protect this precious ecosystem. These forests are safe because of you! Worth celebrating are the 512 acres of helicopter logging that was dropped from the original THP thanks to the 2014 blockade. The successful blocking of the 2017 “road to nowhere” saved a hillside excavation and protected a grove of ancient Bay trees from destruction. Big love to Rook for holding it down this summer in the canopy for 60 days and effectively saving an old growth Douglas fir. Love to Pascal for sitting in a giant candalabra tree in Unit 1 – a beautiful grove of mixed forest and magnificent Douglas fir trees which still stands. And of course the forest fought for itself, with a landslide in 2016 making parts of that forest unharvestable. None of these accomplishments could have been possible without the support of the community and all the wonderful people who traveled from near and far and those no longer with us to #savethemattolesancientforest!
Thank you everyone for all the love and continued support over the years. This is not the end, but the continuation of decades of resistance in this bioregion.
Sending love and gratitude to forest defenders, #waterprotecters, and #earthdefenders all over the world fighting to #protectwhatyoulove! The fight isn’t over yet y’all! #forestdefenseisclimatedefense (Photos from the recent rally at Fox camp gate September 8th, 2019 and from the road blockade of 2014 that kicked this chapter off)
RIP: Bunny, Scout, Squirrel, Dave’s Not Here, Jungle, Nature Boy, Oat Groat, Root, Thorn, Bagel, and Roots
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