An inspiring story about a woman who takes direct action on the clear-cutting of the Redwood Forests in the 1990's. She puts herself in one of the trees to protect it. Admirable for her actions, and sticking to it even in the midst of incredible adversary, the end was depressing for how few concessions she won from the timber company after such a hard struggle. There aren't always happy endings in the real world.

Having just read two novels that base characters on Julia Butterfly Hill, I thought I'd go to the source. What a remarkable person! It was good to Google her afterwards and see that she's doing well and keeping the faith these almost 20 years later. Anyway, if you want the details on how somebody could live 180 ft off the ground in a redwood for two years and survive death threats and snow and storms and helicopters, here they are.

So, I just read this book. A true story. I kind of remember hearing about it in the news years ago, (1997/99) without really paying any real attention to it, but anyway just read it, and am kind of blown away... The tenasity alone of Julia is remarkable. ..... yeah she's a bit churchy, but still!! ...... now I am googleing everything about the tree to find out more, is it still standing??

As a fellow Aquarius, I really empathised with Julia Hill's perspective. We're little & fragile & often get treated very badly by others....which she does, appallingly. There are a lot of shocks in her account. Firstly, that a girl had to live in a tree for that long in those kind of weather conditions to ensure that it wasn't cut down. Secondly, the human interference stunned me - won't give it away but, wow, she definitely got exposed to shitty kinds of people. Third, the multiple risks to her life. This book is breathtaking, it had a big impact on me & somewhat blew my mind. Written in a very immediate & relatable way, inspiring for young people. Highly recommend it.

An old coworker of mine gave me this book a couple years ago. I had heard of her and remember bits of her story. I grew up in California and went to UC Santa Cruz— which is in the middle of a redwood forest, so reading her story and that of the plight of the redwoods still seems so poignant and relevant all these years later. This is one example of how one person can make a difference, but beyond that, it’s also about the trees and how we, as humans, are a part of them, and they are a part of us.

The story was interesting, but her writing was terrible. She lacked depth and thoughtfulness. She frequently did extreme actions just because she 'knew she had to'.
I am very much unimpressed by people who do extreme things because of a feeling with little knowledge or reasoning. This is the sort of thing that leads to suicide bombings and airplane hijacking.
While her cause happened to be good, and those others we see as bad, the motivations are the same.
This book was in no way inspirational to me and was kind of frustrating to remember that people think like her. Such lack of depth and insight, yet given so much praise.
However I read this book when I first got back to washington and had torn a ligament in my foot leaving me bed ridden for a few days. It was early january and it rained and snowed frequently, the sun would set at 4:30. I was terribly lonely and incapacitated because of having no way to get around because I lived deep in the forest and could not walk nor had a car. Her story of living alone in a tree through cold winter storms spoke to me in those moments and was even some ways inspiring because of feeling a certain connection, despite my frustration with her writing and way of thinking. There was about three pages somewhere in the middle I found incredibly well written and moving.

The depth of this human being is unfathomable

I finished the book, and felt it was worth my time. I appreciated the author’s dedication to her cause…holy cow, she spent two years in a tree! I was impressed with Julia’s strong devotion to save her tree, Luna. Her devotion at first was, I sensed, almost religious. But, over time, her cause and time in the tree seemed to devolve into a movement, a protest, etc. But, when I put the book down I again concluded, in my mind, that most of her moves were from her heart, not from a previously conceived mind set. Nor a environmental movement. Not sure what happened to Luna in the end, as the author does not disclose, but suspect “she,” the tree, that is, is gone. So, read the book, and you decide….was it all worth it?

Reading the story of Luna the ancient redwood and Julia Butterfly Hill, the tree-sitting activist who spent a little over 2 years (738 days without touching a foot to the ground) living in her branches to save her from demolition by the Pacific Limber Company, I often found myself breathless as Hill describes not only the climb into Luna but also the storms she weathered at 180 feet above the ground.

I remember the tree-sit vividly, lasting from December 1997 to 1999. I was a mom with 3 kids, working part time, breastfeeding my daughter, and taking my boys to soccer practice 3-4 times a week. I was impressed with Hill’s devotion, but at the time I didn’t give it much thought. Twenty some years later, my kids are grown and my granddaughter just turned two. Having read Hill’s story, I have much more respect and gratitude for Hill’s devotion and eventual success. Thanks to Julia Butterfly Hill, Luna was saved, along with a 200 foot buffer zone around her and other remaining old growth patches of forest that most likely would have disappeared with the song of chainsaws as their funeral dirge had it not been for Hill’s dedication and determination.

Old growth forests are comprised of trees 1000-3500 years old. If we let them disappear, we will not see their likes again in many generations beyond our own. In generating public and media attention for Luna and other ancient trees, Hill gifted us with a legacy that we must cherish.

Hill describes the process and legacy of clear cutting vividly. Once the trees are felled, the area is burned, sprayed with diesel fuel or napalm, and left completely denuded of life. Nothing can live there. When the rains come, the saturated soil can no longer depend on the tree roots of the ancients to hold it in place, so it slides down steep mountain sides to bury any animals and humans and their dwellings at the base of the mountain. The many families in the town of Stafford, California, suffered this fate.

As Hill explains, there is sustainable harvesting of trees and unsustainable clear-cutting. It’s in our best interest to understand the difference and do something about it. We may not be able to live two years in the branches of a 1500-2000 year old tree, but we can educate ourselves and speak up for the trees before it’s too late.

By the way, the book was printed on 100% recycled paper, so no trees were harmed in its printing.

Tu fai la differenza

31 Dicembre 1996: una valanga distrugge una cittadina di nome Stafford, nella contea di Humboldt, nella parte settentrionale della California. Alcuni abitanti, ormai senza più un'abitazione ed un posto dove vivere, distrutti e senza un futuro di serenità, si scagliano contro la Pacific Lumber, la segheria della zona, ma...
1997: non molto lontano da Stafford, vive una ragazza, Julia, poco più che ventenne ed è al bivio della sua vita, piena di prospettive per il futuro, decide che è arrivato il momento di andare in giro per il Mondo in cerca di nuove idee, nuove culture, visitare il più possibile. Purtroppo il denaro non è molto, ma coglie l'occasione che le capita. Una coppia di amici sta partendo per un giro della California e lei si aggrega. Nel corso del viaggio incontrano un ragazzo che gli raccomanda di visitare una foresta di sequoie tra le più antiche, nella Riserva Naturale di Headwaters. Julia ha come un presentimento, una scintilla le esplose nel cuore. Si inoltra nella foresta e capisce che questa è la sua chiamata. Poi incontrerà Luna (una sequoia millenaria), alta 60 metri e con un tronco talmente enorme, che per abbracciarlo si dovrebbero tenere per mano almeno 10 persone.
Luna e tutta la foresta intorno, sono minacciati dalla Pacific Lumber, così Julia sale su Luna e...

Una lettura a dir poco, stupenda, emozionantissima, la mia empatia verso questa straordinaria eroina dei nostri tempi, è alle stelle. Il suo animo generoso e combattivo verso la natura, il suo voler bene a ciò che ci circonda e che è in pericolo, per l'avidità di pochi, mi ha commosso ed avrei voluto condividere questa sua battaglia già all'epoca e non solo ora a vent'anni di distanza. Ma l'importante è conoscere questi gesti di amore vero, verso la natura e verso Madre Terra, che stiamo troppo martoriando... quando mai lo capiremo?!

Dubito di me stessa
In momenti come questi
il dubbio striscia tra le ombre della mia mente
penetrando nelle fessure e nelle crepe
aggrappandosi a tutto quello che riesce a trovare
devo ascoltare ogni cosa dentro di me
anche il dubbio
ignorarlo non significa mandarlo via
devo affrontarlo
scrutarlo attentamente per scoprire cosa nasconde
Dietro ogni pensiero inconscio
c'è una forma di verità
a volte contorta
forse manipolata per ingannare
ma comunque vera
Devo aprirmi alla realtà
cercarne il valore
dimenticando il resto
Queste sono le cose che mi passano per la testa
in momenti come questo.

(Il giorno stesso che ho iniziato questo magnifico libro, la sera ho visto una puntata, a dire la verità solo la parte finale, di CSI Miami ed alla fine, quando prendono i cattivi, in sottofondo c'era questa canzone... non so perchè, ma è diventata la colonna sonora di questa mia lettura)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6Uc_...

Julia Butterfly Hill is a timeless inspiration for all who seek to make our world a better place. Her steadfast courage, resolve, dedication, bravery, commitment and tenacity is a guide for all of us for what is needed today to address the world's complex and often overwhelming problems. She exemplifies the change that what one person is capable of achieving when setting our minds to accomplish seemingly impossible goals and challenges, one day at a time -- and never, ever giving up.

I forgot to review this, I loved reading Julia's perspective of this event! This is a super interesting read where Julia goes into deep detail about what she was thinking about, what days were truly like, and how emotional the whole tree-sit event was back in 1999. I actually also met someone who worked with Earth First! during the event and even helped supply Julia many times during her sit! Very cool experience and I really want to visit Stafford sometime in the future to see Luna :)