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A Redwood Rescue

Experts reach around the giant tree to measure the damage.

Julia ("Butterfly") Hill spent two years on top of the world-living in the branches of a 200-foot-tall redwood tree. Hill had climbed the tree to protest the logging of redwoods in Northern California. She came down from her perch last December after a lumber company agreed not to touch the 1,000-year-old giant.

Now the tree is in bigger danger than ever. Last month environmentalists discovered that it had been attacked. Someone had cut deep into the tree's trunk with a chain saw, making it very weak and unstable. Experts say it could be blown over by fierce winter storms. Last week Hill visited the tree, which she named Luna. She touched the 32-inch gash and cried.

Julia ("Butterfly") Hill inspects the braces holding up the tree.

"I feel this vicious attack on Luna as if the chain saw was going through me," she said. No one knows who did it, but investigators have been inspecting the damage for clues.

The tree isn't dead, but it needs help to survive. For now, an emergency team has put steel braces over the cut to support the tree. Hill's environmental group, Circle of Life Foundation, is working with experts to figure out how to save the tree permanently. Hill is not giving up: "I am as committed as ever to protect Luna and the remaining ancient forests."

Next: Sydney's Sewer Snapper