Poor Windy
In the woods of rural southern Oregon, a group of anonymous individuals have begun a movement
to halt all profit-motivated logging efforts of MOGs (mature old growths) in the state. A recent executive
order issued by Biden was aimed at protecting old growth forests from these practices,
but an out of state logging company from Idaho found a loophole to continue cutting these trees for profit,
increasingly exploiting it to intentionally cut down large and centuries old trees. The loophole entailed
the clear-cutting of old growths in order to build spur roads, allowing them to take advantage
of the current laws surrounding road construction.
April of 2024 saw the region’s first forest defense encampment in over twenty years. After just a
few weeks, a contract was signed by the logging company and forest service canceling the
project due to the defenders’ presence. Another occupation was then established 130ft up in
a tree a 30 minute drive away near the Rouge River. In the middle of the night on July 1,
the treesit was abandoned, as police and far-right locals focused their attention on the defenders,
and as summer fire restrictions on tree cutting went into effect.
The group has no plans to ease pressure, focusing now on legal efforts while planning their next move.
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