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Super Heroes! WOW!
by HFDA
 With gusts up to 55 miles per hour, it takes a lot of courage and dedication to stay HUNDREDS of feet in the air during hail, thunder, lightning, and severe winds. Even though mother nature and her fury tests treesitting activists, they stay strong in their cause.
These high altitude villages can be blown sometimes 15-20 FEET in both directions as winds test the strength of these Ancient Redwoods, as well as the strength of their protectors. The villages remained occupied throughout the past week, even through the strongest winds, as the storm slammed into the North Coast.
It is dangerous simply to be on the ground during high winds in the woods, especially in forests surrounded by clear-cuts. Normally, the winds would be buffered by surrounding trees, acting as a wind shield, and protecting the inner woods. However, Nanning Creek and Fern Gully lack the protection that a normal, "healthy" forest has due to excessive logging.
The first time that I sat in a tree was in Nanning Creek, during
a massive winter storm a few years ago. It was challenging enough to
climb 160 feet to "Spooner's" lower living space in the rain and wind
for my first experience. As the storm progressed the first night, I
found my self clinging to the platform ropes for dear life as I watched
surrounding trees sway back a forth in the winds. I wondered if I could
make it thorough without giving up and climbing down.
The
feeling is comparable to being in a very small "dingy" boat caught in a
squall, only this boat was suspended high in a Ancient Redwood tree. As
the storm got progressed the second day and trees began to fall around
us, I began to trust "Spooner" the tree and accept my situation. I
chose to protect a being that was over two thousand years old and my
place was to "go down with the ship" if by chance that this was
"Spooner's" last storm.
Imagine, the storms that
"Spooner" experienced these past two millennia. Spooner has seen
earthquakes, floods, fires, and greater storms than we or our children
will ever see, hopefully. This brought a sense of peace to me and
helped reaffirm my presence. "Spooner" was never going to drop us. As I
was thinking this, all of a sudden, my treemate and I hear a loud
cracking and popping sound.
My first thought was that
the "Sprout" that our platform is partially secured to was breaking
off. "Sprout" is a branch, technically called a reiteration, but
imagine this branch being about the size of a second growth tree, about
4-5 feet in diameter. “Sprouts” are known to fall from Coast Redwoods,
part of Sequioa Semperviren’s reproduction cycle. I thought we were
about to fall 160 feet, crashing to the forest floor below. My treemate
helped keep me calm and collected as the sound got louder and closer.
BOOOOOOOOM!
"Spooner" shook as if there was a large earthquake. My first thought
was that we were safe but also I believed our tree "Spooner" was hit by
another tree. Luckily, this was not the case. After inspecting the
damage in the morning, we discovered that a large second growth tree
had fallen over 500 feet away from "Spooner", on the edge of the grove
and the clear-cut.
I am grateful to "Spooner", as well
as the Universe, for protecting us through that wild and dangerous
storm. We were in a place that even loggers refuse to enter during mild
inclement weather, due to the danger of falling trees and "Widow Maker"
branches. It takes spirit and dedication to protect these ancient
giants. It takes faith and guts to stay in a swaying Redwood as trees
fall around you. Anyone who treesits is definitely a hero, but choosing
to risk your life in these fierce winds qualifies these brave activists
as super heroes!
I am reminded of my "close to death"
experience every time I visit Nanning Creek. The tree that fell so
close, yet luckily so far to "Spooner", actually fell across our path
into the Ancient Grove that we are protecting. The shoots of new growth
reach for the sky and remind me that these life forms are precious and
worth protecting. No matter how tired I am from hiking in supplies, or
burned out from the psychological aspect of helping support a treesit,
my heart is lightened and my spirits lifted every time I reach the end
of my trek at the fallen one.
The fallen tree created a
nice bridge for us to walk across on our way in, avoiding the mudslide
and slash that Pacific Lumber is famous for, across our county. It is
natural for Redwoods to fall, and for reiterations to break off,
creating new trees. Redwoods reproduce that way. Redwoods seeds have
only a .05 germination rate. Most redwood trees come from fallen trees,
reiterations or stumps that are fortunate to have fallen naturally and
left to grow or decompose. Clear-cuts are unnatural, and logging
companies are forced to sometimes plant these destroyed areas, usually
with cloned GMO trees.
If a tree falls in the woods,
does it make a sound? Of course it does, especially for someone who is
there risking their life to protect these Ancients. But there is both
the physical sound of a tree snapping and crashing to the floor, and
the metaphysical sound as the process of rebirth begins for a Coast
Redwood. It is an experience that only a select few brave and dedicated
activists are fortunate enough to hear. To hear this natural sound,
opposed to chainsaws and what follows, is truly a blessing and a reward.
May the forests be with us...Always!
Jeff Muskrat
Humboldt Forest Defense
spooner@spoonerdirect.org
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