A 200-year-old cottonwood tree in Lochiel, Arizona, was cut down on 5 October 2026 after protesters occupied its branches for more than 70 days. The tree was locally known as the “grandmother” and became the focal point of protest against a project slated to run two 30-foot-high parallel walls through San Rafael Valley. According to The Guardian , more than 80 federal agents arrived at the private land that morning and removed the last person occupying the tree and prevented demonstrators from reaching it. An excavator was used by contractors from Fisher Sand & Gravel to push the cottonwood to the ground.
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