Loggers pull apart activists’ roadblock in Oregon

MCKENZIE BRIDGE, Ore. – Loggers gained access to a timber sale in the Willamette National Forest by pulling apart a roadblock installed by environmental activists.

A protester who identified himself as North told The Register-Guard the loggers attached a haul hitch to a pickup that was part of the barrier and pulled it out of the way.

North had been stationed on a platform 80-feet up in a tree, supported by a rope anchored on the roadblock. He has since come down.

Patrol Captain Greg Moore of the U.S. Forest Service said he arrived at the scene Wednesday to find the road partially cleared.

Activists with Eugene-based Cascadia Forest Defenders put the roadblock in place overnight Sunday. They believe the logging near McKenzie Bridge will create pollution in watersheds and lead to erosion.

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Information from: The Register-Guard, http://www.registerguard.com