Hazel doesn't just hug trees - she holds herself hostage for them.An environmental activist who focuses her efforts on the Pacific Northwest forests, Hazel has been a tree sitter for the past ten years. Her real name is unknown, as most tree sitters take on forest names to avoid prosecution. Hazel's strong belief in biocentrism has fueled her dedication toward preserving the ancient forests and wildlife that currently fall within the borders of the United States.
"All species have an equal right to live on this earth, not just because they do something for us, and that includes mushrooms, lichens and tiny bugs that most people don't care about," said Hazel, who spoke at a Willard fireside on Nov. 12. Over forty students attended Hazel's presentation, which was sponsored by SEED (Students for Ecological and Environmental Development) and Justice for All, Northwestern's environmental and animal rights activist groups.
Hazel's own experience with environmental activism started when she was a student at the University of South Florida.
"I was always interested in it as long as I can remember. I've always been really aware, but I didn't necessarily know what to do with it," Hazel said.
Through USF's Public Interest Research Group, PIRG, Hazel visited the ancient forests of Oregon and fell in love with them. Since then, she has been active in the Cascadia Forest Defenders, as well as Earth First!
The Cascadia Forest Defenders is a volunteer group dedicated to preserving the ancient forests of Cascadia, Oregon, through direct action, education, and other methods. Tree sits are just one method the Defenders use to protect the forests; they also stage protests, lock themselves to road barriers in the way of logging trucks, create road blockades, and survey forests for wildlife, which, if found, can prevent an area from being logged. Earth First!ers employ similar techniques; Hazel showed slides of a staged an office takeover of the California Department of Forestry, road blockades, and the use of tripods- high, unstable, three legged structures built in the middle of the road that are hard to get people out of safely. Earth First! neither condemns nor condones monkeywrenching, a form of ecotage that involves the destruction of industrial equipment, but it is commonly used by individual Earth First!ers, and is a significant part of two regular columns in the Earth First! Journal.
"My opinion is that it's best to mix all the tactics up and use whatever will work best," said Hazel, "We don't just sit in trees like Julia Butterfly; that's an exception."
The Cascadia Forest Defenders do participate in tree sits, but not usually for extensive periods of time. Tree sitting, according to Hazel, is generally not an individual act, but a collective effort. There are even tree villages that protect large areas of trees, in which one can walk from tree to tree.
"You are literally putting your life on the line when you're tree sitting 200 feet up, but there are also ways to stay safe," Hazel said.
Safety equipment hasn't prevented the death of some tree-sitters, including Beth O'Brien, a member of the Cascadia Forest Defenders who fell to her death during a tree sit last April. More recently, a 25 year old Earth First! tree sitter died during a tree sit in California this October. Because he went by the forest name of "Naya" the other Earth First!ers could not identify him to even inform his family; an investigation determined that his name was Robert Bryan.
So what makes these trees so special that people are willing to risk their lives for them? The trees that the Cascadia Forest Defenders aim to protect are part of old growth forests and are generally 300 to 500 years old and are homes to much wildlife.
These ancient forests were once protected by environmental laws, but in 1995 forest fires left thousands of trees dead. Congress passed the 1995 Salvage Rider to save forests by removing the dead trees, and all environmental restrictions were suspended so that the trees could be removed quickly. The dead trees had to be removed within two or three years or they would lose their value due to decay and insect damage.
The Salvage Rider expired in 1996, and environmental laws have been in effect since then, but they have not been adequate for activists who believe no old growth trees should be cut down. Also, many of these laws were not fully enforced, such as the requirement to screen for wildlife before cutting down a tree. The Cascadia Forest Defenders took it upon themselves to climb the trees and look for the red tree vole, an animal that is not visible from the ground. A red tree vole's nest requires a ten-acre buffer zone.
Now Hazel and other activists are especially concerned that President Bush is planning to pass a new Salvage Rider. Bush's Healthy Forest Initiative includes the passing of legislation that expedites forest thinning and restoration projects. In healthy forests, low-intensity fires can be helpful and rejuvenating, but the forests of the Pacific Northwest have become unnaturally dense and are vulnerable to severe fires, being destroyed, rather than renewed by them. Forest thinning and selective burning help to make forests healthier and prevents them from being completely destroyed in severe fires. Bush's plan also involves reducing obstacles that hinder forest management, such as unnecessary litigation. This is important because documentation, appeals, and lawsuits often slow the process of tree thinning and other forest management techniques. However, activists are concerned that this is just another Salvage Rider and that the Healthy Forest Initiative will open all ancient forests to loggers, with no restrictions.
Though there are environmental groups pressuring Congress not to pass the Healthy Forest Initiative, Hazel prefers direct action to policy work.
"I try to stay away from policy work, although I feel it's really important. I don't have much of a tolerance or capacity for it," said Hazel.
Besides, you can't hold yourself hostage to a bill in Congress.
