Try to place your lumberjack and planted trees between your opponent and the available maturing trees, to prevent him getting into position to chop a tree. Don’t forget to “stay” if doing so lets you chop or plant adjacent trees. Relying on a protestor is a weak strategy, the protester doesn't prevent a competitor from chopping adjacent trees that will fall in its direction thus losing the protested tree and protester together. If the protester is placed, try to avoid trees maturing adjacent the protester as that jeopardizes the protested tree once the adjacent chopped tree falls in its direction.