UPDATE from Treesit Defending Century-Old Forest Near Seattle

Blockade Against Mature Forest Logging Enters Third Day, Community Rallies in Support

The treesitter on their platform, suspended about 60 feet above the ground. Thursday, May 8th.

On Wednesday, I shared the breaking news that forest defenders had launched a direct action outside Port Angeles, a small city west of Seattle on the Olympic Peninsula. Activists erected a blockade across the road, lifted a plywood platform sixty feet into the air, and anchored the suspended platform to the roadblock, meaning any attempt to remove it would send the sitter falling to their likely death.

BREAKING: Tree Sit Launched as Forest Defenders Seek to Halt Logging Near Seattle

Today I have an update from the frontlines.

Supporters are being asked to rally tomorrow, Saturday May 10th, at 12pm at the Lower Elwha Food and Fuel. Police have blocked the road to the treesit, but on Thursday supporters successfully walked passed the roadblock and walked 2 miles along the road to rally beneath the treesit. That is the plan for Saturday’s rally as well.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 9, 2025

Press Contact: email, alternate email, 360-454-2803 (Please note the phone number for media has changed).

Port Angeles, WA — The blockade to halt the clearcut logging of one of the last low-elevation mature forests in the Elwha Watershed has entered into the evening of its third day, with growing community support. Late yesterday afternoon, dozens risked arrest and marched past the police closure blocking access to the tree sit, and rallied in support of the forest defender camped in the canopy.

The timber sale, known as "Parched," is currently under litigation by the Earth Law Center and Legacy Forest Defense Coalition. A petition—started by members of the Lower Elwha Kallam Tribe urging that the watershed be protected—has been signed by over half of tribal members, as well as being widely supported by local residents, and has garnered over 3,000 total signatures.

In response to the protest, law enforcement have been stationed at the base of the tree and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has closed massive swaths of public lands, disrupting recreation.

Protesters argue that the DNR's logging practices not only undermine the state's own investments, but also violate public trust, prioritizing short-term profits over long-term values.

"As the climate crisis progresses, Washington’s carbon rich forests are a critical natural climate solution, and must be protected at all costs," said Reggie Miller, another organizer of the protest. "These ecosystems provide a myriad of benefits from providing habitat for endangered species to protecting our drinking water. The only responsible thing that we can do is to defend them."

As the Seattle Times’ Lynda Mapes wrote yesterday, reporting on the action:

“…as more trees fall and climate change challenges the health of forests — and the rivers those forests protect — logging in the Elwha has been particularly controversial. It was there that Congress spent more than $350 million to take down two hydropower dams to revive legendary fish runs in the Elwha — a recovery that is just beginning to take hold more than a decade after the last dam came down.

Logging can increase sediment in streams. Cutting the canopy can raise stream temperatures. Cutting mature forests and replanting with young trees depletes stream flows and the effect lasts for decades. All of these things have happened on the Olympic Peninsula for many years, stressing salmon and steelhead populations.

A Clallam County Judge issued a temporary restraining order on Wednesday in response to a request by the groups in the lawsuit, temporarily pausing the logging until an injunction can be heard later this month. Community members have vowed to keep the blockade going until the sale is permanently protected, and have highlighted that the restraining order could be lifted at any moment.

This century-old forest, located on the Olympic Peninsula, is part of the ancestral lands of the Klallam people, and the sale has been the subject of increasing public outcry. The forest was auctioned last year by the Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and purchased by the Murphy Company, an Oregon-based timber firm.

Having never been logged by machinery, this 100-year-old forest is home to Douglas fir, grand fir and western red cedar, and is developing old-growth characteristics essential to endangered species like the northern spotted owl and marbled murrelet. An imperiled flower, whipplea modesta, also makes its home here.

Scenes from Thursday's rally.

To prevent logging of this critical habitat, forest defenders placed large debris in the middle of the road. This debris is attached to a climber who is suspended above on a “dunk-tank” platform in a large tree. If authorities attempt to remove the road debris, the platform will drop, risking a 100-foot fall for the climber.

A licensed independent engineering geologist, Glen G. Wade, reviewed the landscape during the SEPA review noting that logging would increase runoff in an area already threatened by deep-seated landslides "posing direct risks to nearby residences, Little River Road, and the Little River itself." Additional concerns have been raised about impact of logging on fragile salmon runs. "Parched" and other DNR sales are very near the site of the recently removed dam, where state and federal governments invested more than $338 million in river and salmon restoration.

Since 2022, Port Angeles City Council has raised serious concerns about logging the Elwha River watershed, as it is the sole source of drinking water for Port Angeles. The city claims their efforts for collaboration and dialogue with the DNR have been resisted or outright denied.

The forest defenders, on the other hand, refuse to be denied.

"I'm not going anywhere," said Red Breasted Nuthatch, the tree-sitter, who is using an alias to protect their identity. "Our new lands commissioner, Dave Upthegrove, promised to protect mature forests; we are here to help him keep his promise."

Demands of the Blockade:

• Immediate cancellation of the "Parched" Timber Sale.

• A pause on all logging in the Elwha watershed

• A permanent ban on logging the remaining mature forests in western Washington.

Protesters are asking supporters to call and email DNR Commissioner Dave Upthegrove at 360-902-1000 x4 and cpl@dnr.wa.gov and ask him to remove police from the site and re-open the Dry Hill Recreation Area (which is now inaccessible because of a closed gate).

Community Solidarity: The blockade has received support from tribal members, conservation groups, and local outdoor enthusiasts. Financial support for the action can be directed to this GoFundMe page, and a rally is planned for Noon on Saturday, May 10 at the gate of the logging road on Walkabout Way in Port Angeles.

High-resolution photos available upon request.

If you’re new here, this is Biocentric, a newsletter about sustainability, overshoot, greenwashing, and resistance. It’s written by me, Max Wilbert, the co-author of Bright Green Lies: How the Environmental Movement Lost Its Way and What We Can Do About It, co-founder of Protect Thacker Pass, and organizer with the Community Legal Environmental Defense Fund.

If you want to follow, you can subscribe for free. Paid subscribers, in return for supporting this publication and the activism you see here, receive access to private posts which contain behind-the-scenes reports and unreleased drafts.