Woman has been doing this unbelievable thing for two years to save forests from being cut down

Climate change is advancing more rapidly than ever before. There is a global call to pay more attention to our natural surroundings. When the Pacific Lumber Company planned to replace natural forests with man-made tree plantations, Julia "Butterfly" Hill did something remarkable. For two years, this 23-year-old, lived in a 1000-year-old, 180-foot tall tree called "Luna," in California's Redwood Forest, reports Business Insider. She stayed on it from December 10, 1997, to December 23, 1999.

However, it wasn’t easy for Hill to live on the tree for a long time. Once the organization supporting her pulled its resources, she depended on a friend to supply her food to continue her activism. Furthermore, the company employed relentless intimidation tactics against her. According to the Los Angeles Times, it included flying helicopters near the tree, cutting down ropes from nearby trees, and keeping security guards below "Luna" to starve her out.

That’s not all. When it came to the living conditions, everything was cramped and wet. However, five men were her support system during that time and provided her with needed things. It included food, fuel for her stove, mail and batteries for her mobile phone. When it came to the wildlife, it was quite challenging for her. She said, "I did my best not to tame them, but the flying squirrels found every (food morsel) I dropped," "They knew that when the candle went out, that was the time to make as much of a mess as possible and tapdance on my head."

Hill’s life wasn’t always this way. Her father was a traveling preacher so she moved around the US as a child. She was homeschooled for most of her initial life. In an interview in 2009, she said how often she felt lonely back then. The activist feels that she turned her natural tendency to disobey into something more useful. “I have been stubborn and getting into trouble since I was two, but I learned how to redirect that into a good cause," she said.

However, her journey to become an activist started when she had a car crash when she was in her 20s. Hill began to reconsider her priorities and decided that she wanted to dedicate her life to environmental activism.  "I had been obsessed with my career, success, and material things. The crash woke me up to the importance of the moment and doing whatever I could to make a positive impact on the future,” she told The Sun.

After this, she left for a trip with her friends and ended up in the Redwoods forest. Hill said that she felt an instant connection with the forest. When she got to know that people were protesting against tree logging, she decided to participate in it. Unfortunately, she had to descend the tree after the first few days due to an illness but when the last two people left, she again volunteered to get on the tree for the cause.

Hill wrote a memoir in 2000 called, “The Legacy of Luna: The Story of  a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods.” In it, she shared her experience of living in the tree. The activist wrote about how she once survived a 70mph windstorm that went on for 16 hours. In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle in 1999, she said that the living conditions in the tree were completely hostile to humans.

After gaining enough media attention for her cause, Hill had an agreement with the Pacific Lumber Company. According to the Luna Preservation Agreement, the trees surrounding a 200-foot radius would be preserved but the already-felled trees would be the property of the company. Once it was signed, she descended the tree after 738 days.

During her time living on the tree, she also started an organization called, Circle of Life, which helps people to have an environmentally conscious lifestyle. She also personally chose to have a healthy yet thoughtful daily life. "I'm a joyous vegan, and an avid cook and un-cook. I love preparing food that is healthy for people, the planet, and animals, and tastes damn good." Hill later wanted to have a private life even though she was still committed to environmental advocacy. "This message is to let you know that I am no longer available for anything at all relating to me being 'Julia Butterfly Hill,'" she said.