Christopher Lamarca

Forest Defenders

When the Bush Administration took office it authorized the logging of “Old Growth Reserves.” These are designated sections of our National Forests set aside for wildlife habitat. I personally counted 540 rings on one tree that was recently cut. Currently there are several NGOs with active lawsuits against the government regarding its public land management, and failure to meet its own environmental regulations. Along with the NGOs, there are a number of activists who are participating in ‘direct action’, a form of civil disobedience that includes activities such as living in trees and locking one’s self to moving logging vehicles.

Our country’s oldest forests are legacy trees that have never been disturbed before. The entry into these once protected forests will be an historical, precedent setting action that could impact the fate of every forest in the United States for years to come.