PORT ANGELES — A tree-sit protest, which has blocked logging access to state Department of Natural Resources parcels, is now two weeks old.
An injunction hearing regarding the parcels has been scheduled for 9 a.m. Friday in Clallam County Superior Court. If a 90-day injunction is issued, the tree climber will remove themselves from the tree. If the decision is not in favor of the environmentalists, the climber likely will stay up there indefinitely.
“It’s going to be crunch time,” activist Peter Stedman said.
The tree sit began about 5:30 a.m. May 7, when an unidentified professional tree climber attached themselves to a dunk tank platform 50 to 100 feet up in a tree. That platform was then attached to debris piled in the middle of a logging road. If the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) attempts to remove the debris to gain access to those parcels, the tree climber’s platform will drop.
The demands of the blockade are threefold: Immediate cancellation of the timber sale known as Parched, a pause on all logging in the Elwha River watershed and a permanent ban on logging the remaining mature forests in western Washington.
Although Parched is the parcel at the center of the dispute, a nearby parcel known as Tree Well also is included in the lawsuits. Together, those parcels make up about 586 acres within the more than 206,000-acre Elwha watershed.
The parcels both were auctioned off to Oregon-based Murphy Company in December for a combined total of $6.9 million.
Those advocating against the logging argue they are “legacy forests,” or structurally complex, mature trees that have the potential to reach old-growth status in the future.
The two active lawsuits surrounding these properties argue that the forests are an essential step toward the DNR meeting its goal of protecting a certain percentage of old-growth forests within the state, and that the DNR has not adequately examined how logging those forests could impact the Elwha watershed.
A temporary restraining order was issued by Judge Elizabeth Stanley on May 7, halting logging activity for 14 days.
While the lawsuits are pending, activists are working on identifying rare plant communities that may qualify the parcels for DNR protection, as well as continuing the tree sit.
Initially, activists said the tree sit saw heavy presence from DNR law enforcement, along with warnings that access to the Dry Hill Recreation Area would be shut down, and the NW Cup mountain bike race would be canceled.
The May 16 event proceeded as planned, however, and the DNR has allowed individuals access to the tree to send supplies up to the tree sitter, although DNR communications manager Ryan Rodruck said the area around the tree remains closed for public safety.
In addition, Stedman said the DNR installed a second gate on the road leading up to the tree.
“I can feel the noose tightening,” he said. “I believe that they’re going to increase pressure.”
Although it was conjecture, Stedman said he could imagine the DNR arresting or clearing out ground support and then undertaking an extraction measure for the climber.
“What we have noticed is there is increasing pressure on us in terms of restricting access, as well as what we can or can’t do up there,” Stedman said.
________
Reporter Emma Maple can be reached by email at emma.maple@peninsuladailynews.com.
