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Campus Can Prune Tree-Sitters

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By MICHELLE LOCKE, The Associated Press

Published: November 23, 2007

BERKELEY, Calif. - University of California officials have won the legal right to oust a band of tree-sitters who have taken up residence in an oak grove standing in the way of a planned sports center.

But how do you uproot a tree-sitter in Berkeley, one of America's most political-activist-oriented cities?

"Extremely difficult," acknowledges campus spokesman Dan Mogulof.

So far, the university has moved cautiously.

The university wants to remove dozens of the picturesque trees, called evergreen coast live oaks, to build a $125 million training facility for its Golden Bears athletic teams.

There have been scuffles between police and tree-sitters, and campus officials have put up chain-link fences around the grove. University lawyers have told a judge they are considering pruning lower branches - to make it harder to ferry supplies up to the protesters.

Both sides say they don't want a treetop confrontation.

"It's not an easy thing to do - to climb up into a tree, first of all," said Doug Buckwald, member of a group that supports tree-sitters but doesn't join them. "If you're climbing up into a tree to try to wrestle with somebody and drag them down, you are taking on a high level of risk."

A judge ruled last month that school officials would be within their rights to oust the protesters. Mogulof declined to comment on what tactics campus police might use but said they are "not currently contemplating a forcible removal."

The protest began Dec. 2. It's unclear exactly how many tree-sitters there are, or whether they are students or outsiders. Many rotate in and out at night and wear masks, and they usually give false names.

The next big development in the case could be a ruling, expected soon, on lawsuits filed by the city of Berkeley and others challenging the building plans. They argue the athletic center would be environmentally and seismically unsound, which campus officials deny.

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