A group of 11 UK tourists travelled around the world to climb the tallest tree and allegedly committed a crime while doing so.
In May 2022, a group of men from the Canopy Climbing Collective, a social tree climbing club, scaled the summit of Hyperion, a 380-foot tree in Redwoods National Park.
Simeon Balsam, the group’s then-“leader” and the man behind the camera filming his friends’ controversial hobby, documented the alleged illegal act in an hour-long YouTube video that was made “to inspire and ignite a love for California’s mighty old-growth forests.”
It was later discovered that the group of tree climbers did not obtain the necessary permits to ascend the massive tree located in an ecologically sensitive habitat, according to park officials and court documents, obtained by Gate of Saint Francis.
Simeon told DailyMail.com: “Unfortunately I’m not willing to talk about the escalation, other than I’m no longer filming for the group and have moved on to more meaningful projects.”
In May 2022, a group of men from the Canopy Climbing Collective, a social tree climbing club, scaled the summit of Hyperion, a 380-foot tree in Redwoods National Park. (Pictured: Redwoods National Park)
Simeon Balsam (pictured), the group’s “leader” and the man behind the camera filming his friends’ controversial pastime, documented the alleged illegal act in an hour-long YouTube video.
The group reportedly went up during the breeding season of marbled murrelets, an endangered bird species that relies on redwoods for nesting and storing their young.
The club has also been accused of climbing six redwood trees at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park and ziplining over a riverbed, the outlet reported.
Balsam received a citation for “disturbing plants: climbing redwoods,” while the group’s local guide, Michael Oxman, received a misdemeanor citation from a State Parks officer for “endangering the safety of persons, property and resources,” according to State Parks records.
Balsam’s citation required him to pay $130, but he has not yet done so, the Central Violations Bureau told the outlet.
“People want to climb the biggest trees out there. You can never stop people from wanting to venture into those treetops,” Balsam told SFGATE.
“I have mixed emotions about decisions I made a few years ago without being properly informed,” he added.
After watching Balsam’s film, which has racked up more than 58,000 views, Redwood National Park Deputy Superintendent Leonel Argüello was terrified.
“It’s really shocking and unfortunate that they don’t understand the impact they’re having,” she said.
Arguello said the antics of Balsam and his team were “the straw that broke the camel’s back,” as park officials now have to determine whether to close the area around Hyperion to visitors.
It was later discovered that the tree climbing group had not obtained the necessary permits to climb the massive tree located in an ecologically sensitive habitat. (Pictured: a member of the group climbing the tree)
Simeon (pictured in tree) told DailyMail.com: “Unfortunately I’m not willing to talk about the climb, other than I’m no longer a filmer for the group and have moved on to more meaningful projects.”
Balsam and his team are members of LC Tree Care, which is made up of a “team of professional tree surgeons” who care for trees in commercial and domestic gardens in the Hertfordshire area, according to website.
Also known as “tree poachers” or arborists, groups like this have been using their skills and equipment for recreational climbing in recent years.
The group of male climbers is not the only one embarking on a climb in the sacred redwoods, officials told SFGATE.
Stephen Troy, chief ranger at the National Park, told the outlet that the arborists left behind trash and equipment and damaged trees in the process.
Since then, authorities have tried to get ahead of criminal acts by imposing new restrictions and violations, including a $5,000 fine and six months in jail for those who break the rules.
In 2010, a visitor to the Oxford Botanic Garden and Arboretum of the University of Oxford was granted permission to collect seeds in the ancient woodland.
In addition to collecting seeds, the man decided to scale Hyperion, posting videos of his illegal activity online.
“That’s when I realized there was going to be a problem,” Argüello told SFGATE.
Although no legal action was taken against the man who traveled back to the U.K., officials banned him from entering the parks and informed the Oxford Botanic Gardens and Arboretum about what happened, Arguello said.
After that incident, the parks stopped issuing permits to the organization’s seed collectors.
Balsam (middle) was issued a ticket for “disturbing plants – climbing redwoods.” Balsam’s fine required him to pay $130, but he has not yet done so, according to the Central Bureau of Violations.
The parks, located in Humboldt (pictured) and Del Norte counties, are not only known for being home to the tallest trees in the world, but also the oldest.
Tim Kovar, who runs the world’s only legal redwood climbing operation, offers a nine-day redwood climb each year.
As his fame grew, Kovar began receiving calls and emails from people interested in climbing the redwoods.
“It got to the point where we’d see ‘redwood climbing’ in the subject line and just say ‘delete, delete, delete,'” Kovar said.
“We didn’t want to promote climbing redwood trees because of the delicate situation there.”
Redwood National and State Parks are comprised of three California state parks: Redwood National Park, Del Norte Coast Redwoods State Park, Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, and Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park.
The parks, located in Humboldt and Del Norte counties, are not only known for being home to the tallest trees on the planet, but also the oldest.
Initially, the forest spanned more than two million acres of land in the Golden State.
DailyMail.com has contacted the National Park Service for comment.