Dozens of homeless people who have been living in a national forest in central Oregon for years were being evicted Thursday by the US Forest Service, as it closed the area for a wildfire prevention project that will involve removing smaller trees,

The U.S. Forest Service in the predawn hours Thursday closed the gate leading to the Cabin Butte area of Deschutes National Forest, and four forest service vehicles remained stationed beside it, as about a dozen campers’ vehicles and trailers parked along the road just outside the forest.

The closure at Deschutes National Forest was for a fire-prevention project, but advocates worry the displaced will have nowhere to go.