Activists Set Up Blockade to Protest Logging at Parched Timber Sale
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A tree sitter is currently preventing the harvesting of DNR land by. a plywood company. Photo by G. Dobyns [/caption]
News by G. Dobyns
Early on Wednesday, May 7, activists erected a tree-sit and blockade of a logging road off Walkabout Way in Port Angeles, blocking access to the Parched timber sale. Logging operations set to begin that morning were halted, and one person occupied a tree-sit anchored to debris blocking the road.
The following day, an energetic crowd of 50 people gathered to demand that Commissioner Dave Upthegrove re-open the popular Dry Hill recreation area that encompasses the trees and remove the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) police from the area. The crowd was also there to support the forest defender perched on a platform suspended 80 feet in the air, blocking road access to the contested Parched timber sale.
Olympic Forest Defenders say that the 192-acre forest slated to be cut is one of the last low-elevation mature forests in the Elwha watershed, and contains complex ecosystems, critical habitat, and developing old-growth characteristics. "We shouldn't have to choose between losing essential services and logging these mature forests," said the group. "These forests are also essential, and irreplaceable in the face of the climate crisis—storing carbon, protecting biodiversity, and buffering our communities from wildfires and floods."
“People have been fighting this sale for two years,” said organizer Davis. “There have been rallies and attempts to obtain Trust Land Transfers. The City of Port Angeles asked [Commissioner] Upthegrove to halt the sale. The tree sitter is up there now because all other tactics have failed.”
Murphy Company, a Eugene, OR based plywood manufacturing company, won a DNR auction for the 192-acre parcel in November of 2024, as well as another 202-acre parcel, “Tree Well”, which also sits along the Elwha River watershed. Representatives of Murphy Company did not respond to a request for comment by The Beacon.
On May 6, A Clallam County Judge granted a 14-day temporary restraining order pausing logging operations after an appeal by the Legacy Forest Defense Coalition and Earth Law Center. However, these restraining orders are frequently lifted without notice. “All the logging roads have been built, and logging could start any day,” reported Davis.
Another organizer criticized the police presence at the base of the tree sit, who they claim harassed the tree-sitter all night with a loud generator and bright lights, and removed activists on the ground providing ground support. “These guys are here for one reason only: to make it so uncomfortable for that person up there to give it up,” said another organizer who only identified himself as a concerned citizen. “They’ve been informed that to cut any of those two cables tied to the main one would mean death for that person. They know that. That person is not only risking their life for the trees, but for the whole set of legacy forests. The battle doesn’t stop here. From the Elwha West, every single watershed is under attack.”
State Lands Commissioner Dave Upthegrove released the following statement about the tree-sit:
“This stunt is dangerous, reckless, and counterproductive. Their actions put the safety and lives of my employees at risk, and I will seek the prosecution of those involved to the fullest extent of the law. This kind of dangerous vandalism makes it harder to advance a positive environmental agenda.”
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Photo by G Dobyns [/caption]
When asked to clarify precisely what is placing DNR employees at risk, DNR Communications Manager Ryan Rodruck replied that “We’ve got work going on and it’s a hazard to the public. There are demonstrators on the ground and a demonstrator in the tree.”
Activists on the ground responded that it is not the few dozen protesters that are creating a hazard, but the disproportionate police presence, which numbered around 15 cars from several agencies. “We are extremely disappointed in Upthegrove’s failure to keep his most basic campaign promise,” said Davis. “By wasting valuable resources with a heavily armed response, he is actively endangering the lives of peaceful forest advocates who are exercising their free speech rights.”
"His statement in the Seattle Times shows his true colors and that he values the reputation of the department over the overwhelming will of the people he was elected to serve,” said demonstrator Claire Better. “If anyone is vandalizing anything, it's the DNR vandalizing our land."
Following the rally, approximately half the crowd crossed a police barrier into the closed recreation area. DNR police informed the activists that they were risking arrest, but kept their distance as the crowd marched the two miles up to the tree sit to shout messages of support to the sitter perched high in the canopy of a towering Douglas Fir.
"I'm not going anywhere," said the tree sitter, using the moniker Red Breasted Nuthatch, in a statement released May 9. "Our new lands commissioner, Dave Upthegrove, promised to protect mature forests; we are here to help him keep his promise." The tree-sitter is demanding immediate cancellation of the Parched Timber Sale, a pause on all logging in the Elwha watershed, and a permanent ban on logging the remaining mature forests in western Washington.
Police from several agencies responded, including DNR, WSP, Clallam County, and tribal police, but no arrests were made.
Growing Support for Legacy Forests
These protests are occurring in the context of growing opposition to logging legacy forests, with advocates pointing to the carbon sequestration, ecosystem services, and habitat that these older, naturally regenerated forests provide. Washington Commission of State Lands Dave Upthegrove was recently elected on a promise to halt the sale of legacy forests by DNR , and has placed a 6 month moratorium on new timber sales of legacy forests, but so far has not taken action to reverse the rush of timber sales made by outgoing Commissioner Hillary Franz, including the Parched sale along the Elwha River.
Reggie Miller, one of the protest organizers, pointed out the role forests play in mitigating climate change. "As the climate crisis progresses, Washington’s carbon rich forests are a critical natural climate solution, and must be protected at all costs," Miller said. "These ecosystems provide a myriad of benefits from providing habitat for endangered species to protecting our drinking water. The only responsible thing we can do is to defend them."
In a March 4 editorial in the Seattle Times, Commissioner Upthegrove emphasized the importance of seeking “collective input from our trust beneficiaries — including schools, counties and essential services — alongside tribal governments, environmental groups, the industry and the public — to help us develop an improved management plan for these forests.”
The City of Port Angeles and the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe have raised concerns about the sale. “Harvesting timber within the Elwha River Watershed poses a direct threat to our only water source, putting the health and safety of thousands of residents at risk,” wrote Shannon Cartmel in a SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) statement from the City of Port Angeles.
Similarly, the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe has petitioned to stop all timber sales along the Elwha River Watershed. “We do not understand a way of thinking that would spend hundreds of millions on Elwha River restoration but continue to industrially log in that same watershed,” the petition states. “We do not understand a way of thinking that takes too much and says it is never enough; that would disrespect a River that gives us so much life and now hope.” Organizers with Olympic Forest Defenders claim that Upthegrove has refused to meet with or address the concerns of both the Tribe and the City of Port Angeles.
While proponents of DNR sales point towards the jobs created and state revenue generated for schools by these timber sales, the reality is more complex. Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal has pointed out that timber revenue only accounts for 0.7% of the state’s school construction budget.
The area slated to be logged is also home to the popular Dry Hill mountain bike park. The next round of the Northwest Cup, a prestigious downhill series that includes the Dry Hill Trails, is scheduled for May 16. When asked if the area will be reopened for the race, DNR Communications Manager Rodrick replied, “That will be up to the demonstrator in the tree; our intention is to go forward with the race as planned .” Demonstrators claim that the recreation area shutdown is a punitive measure against the tree-sitter, and point out that the tree sit itself does not interfere with the race at all.
Another rally on Saturday, May 10, drew a similarly sized crowd, and demonstrators say that they will keep showing up to defend the forest.
