A small buffer was left around the tree-sit. Trees to within 40 of the tree-sit were felled. The purchaser told the New Review that no more trees in Unit 5 will be cut because all the felling is complete. In spite of BLM's assurances, they have put the tree sitters at increased risk of injury from blow-down due to the logging. BLM must resolve this stand-off before anyone is hurt.
Trees often blow over on the edge of clearcuts.
The tree-sit is tied into surrounding trees by canopy lines. The canopy lines allows the tree-sitters to move around the canopy of the forest, from tree to tree. Since these lines extend web-like throughout the buffer left, any tree blowing into the middle of the buffer has a high chance of being a serious threat. BLM is now considering putting the road in a different place, on the north edge of the buffer. The BLM is actually considering putting the protesters in more danger by running heavy equipment over the tree roots on the edge of the buffer, and swinging cut logs around the fragile protective buffer.