And The Law Won

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

A subject caught illegally cutting trees on state land by a CO lost the three chainsaws used in the crime in court recently. This was the "second time" the officer had caught the subject cutting trees using the same saws. 

[Roxie]

I will never be too old to love it when the good guys win!   
I'm glad they confiscated the saws, they should have also taken their vehicle used to transport the stolen lumber!  THAT would really slow them down!

[sawguy21]

Did he use an interpretor and claim he did not understand the law? That is the common poacher's scam here. One got nailed hard by an unsympathetic judge on his third appearance

[asy]

THere was a guy here in Australia who cut down a huge tract of state forest, theoretically so he could more easilly move his cows from one side of it to the other...

Now, this offence is punishable by jail here (not chainsaw confiscation!).

But, this guy being in his 70's negotiated to give the state about (from memory) 10 times the acreage that he'd cut down, on the other side of the forest.

The figured that was best so they went and had a look at it. They agreed and the paperwork was started.

Imagine their 'surprise' when they found out that in between giving him the OK and the paperwork going through he CLEARFELLED THE AREA!!!!!

They were not impressed.

asy

PS: These are the facts as I recall them from the news. The real may be slightly differrent. (I will try to find the actual account)

[Tom]

Those might not be the exactly true facts, but, that shoujldn't stop a good story.

The guy has Moxie.   What did they do the second time he took the trees? It sounds to me like this guy is self-proclaimed "country lawyer".

[OLD_ JD]

over here we can't cut on public land coze the stump fee is ALL own by the big sawmill ..who i think is realy stupide coze all the small forester could do a good leaving out of that land by just management.Here in quebec u have to know then 85% of the teritory is public ...that a LOT of wood lot who just get destroy by the big sawmill

[SwampDonkey]

One of the local sawmills also owns an I-Joist plant. Recently they had to shut down 1 of the 3 shifts because they can't get enough black spruce locally to supply the plant. They have been buying from Quebec at $600/thousand as I recall being published in the YSC Marketing Board newsletter.

cheers

[Quebecnewf]

when you say  the mill can't get  enough black spruce  where is this mill and what size of black spruce are they buying. In our area of QUEBEC there is lots of black spruce but it is small

[J D in AUS]

Arsy     Gentleman in question DID NOT Clearfell . He only took the good saw logs  I have known him probley 40 years  J D in sunny Qld.

[WV_hillbilly]

  Here's a good one  that occured locally .   Two peple were arrested Thursday after a controlled buy . No it wasn't drugs  , it was for standing timber .  Late last month these 2  stated that they owned 3 tracts of standing timber  and contacted a logger . The logger made payments in excess of $120,000 dollars to these individuals . He then found out that they didn't own the timber or the land that the timber was on . The police had the logger set up another money transaction with these 2 and arrested them after the money changed hands .

  Hopefully those two will get prison terms . They are facing 3rd degree felony charges . 

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

A walnut tree valued at close to $7,000.00 was cut down by two subjects in the Barry State Game Area. After a lengthy investigation the CO finally got enough evidence to obtain arrest warrants for the two responsible parties.

[asy]

Arsy     Gentleman in question DID NOT Clearfell . He only took the good saw logs  I have known him probley 40 years  J D in sunny Qld.

Aaah, well, there ya go...

AS I said, I couldn't remember the exact details, only what I read in the papers (as accurate as they are) 

I thought the papers said he CLearfelled, so he could move cattle from one paddock to another...

Thanks For setting me straight J D.

What ended up happenning ?? 

Is he OK? I sure hope he didn't get incarcerated, he didn't look very well on the telly.

asy (Also in sunny QLD)

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

A subject was working on his 6th pick-up load of timber, taken illegally from state land, when he was stopped by two CO's. Two tickets were issued, one for timber theft and one for driving on a suspended license. 

[Doc]

Michigan

A subject was working on his 6th pick-up load of timber, taken illegally from state land, when he was stopped by two CO's. Two tickets were issued, one for timber theft and one for driving on a suspended license. 

Tickets issued? I woudl have thought they woudl have issued a new set of shiney bracelets for the theft side anyway.....

Odd..

Doc

[sawguy21]

I am surprised they weren't using a stolen truck

[Ron Scott]

Checking up on a vehicle that a CO saw following a two track on state land, the CO blocked the exit and truged in on foot and caught the vehicle parked by a loggers pile of cut hardwood trees.

The subjects were helping themselves to the wood until the officer told them to put the wood back. They were given tickets. (The logger might not have been so lenient)

 

[hawby]

I am cutting oak at a horse farm that is right on the edge of a development. The land owners had many trees taken down to clear way for a new horse barn. While the LO was away for 3 hours, someone came in and cut up ten of the best logs for firewood.    The DanG thing is, there was two piles of short logs on either side that WILL be firewood.

So now we have to drop a few more trees to get enought ot finish the stall boards.

Some people.....

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

A subject who has taken approximately $20,000 in timber on state land
is now sitting in a jail cell. 

[rebocardo]

> While the LO was away for 3 hours, someone came in and cut up ten of the best logs for firewood.

I would be too afraid to trespass, never mind getting out a saw to cut it up. They must have been watching for a while and there where probably two of them. This is where rock salt probably would come in handy.

[Corley5]

I'm surprised that more timber isn't poached around here especially with the price that hard maple is fetching.  I was doing some habitat in the Pigeon River Country the other day and was drooling over the veneer maple trees that dominated the stand on both sides of the trail into the openings.  Big $$$$$ both literally and figuratively

[SwampDonkey]

I made a post and had to delete it because it sounds racist, even though it's truthful and can be proven. 

[spencerhenry]

now this story isnt really theft, i had yet to pay for the logs. i had an agreement with a LO, i was buying all his standing dead that i could get a skidder to, and that was over 12" dbh. i cut and skid all that i could find, while skidding the second load the trucker had the first one gone. when he loaded the second load, there were still about 20 stems on the landing. i paid for the 2 loads at the agreed upon price, also told the landowner that i would be back for the rest of the sawlogs, but that i would cut them into sizes i could haul in my pickup. a week or so later i emailed him and told him again that i was going back for the logs. about 2 days later i went to go get "my" logs. a guy that lives on the property, but owns nothing, (kind of a permanent camper), had a nice new stack of firewood in front of his shack. i stopped and talked to him, he said he had cut up ONE crooked log. i got back to the landing, and found that he had cut up at least 6 or 8 of the biggest logs.  he didnt cut up the tops, or the small ones, or the knotty ones, or even go get his own trees. he cut up what i had cut and skid, and the good stuff. not a real big deal, but after putting in the effort to cut and skid, id like to at least get to pick which ones i want to take home.

[Frickman]

That's a tough break Spencerhenry, I don't like to work for free either. Just be happy all he did was bucked up some logs, and not vandalized your equipment.

[timberjack240]

spencerhenry
you shodda went up to the "permanant camper" and sed thanks for cuttin my firewood. i really apprieciate it  and sold the wood to get yur money bak . that or jsut charged him a litle bit for it. most likely that wooda cause trouble so lettin it go was probably smart. but think of it this way you didnt work for free... think of it as a "learnin expeirnce" and the knowledge gained was better then the money    

[sawguy21]

(The logger might not have been so lenient)

policeman

No kidding. Might have been a good whuppin goin on.
My buddy and I were trying to make a buck cutting firewood and fence posts in the brush pile at the landing his dad hauled logs from. We worked several evenings cutting and stacking, intending to come back Saturday to load and haul. Well, come Saturday morning our stash was gone. We went back to town and said to heck with it.
Monday morning, the loader operator was yakking about all the free firewood already cut and stacked. Guess he was afraid to come to work for a few days after Ralph had a leeetle chat with him.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

A subject was caught taking large oak logs off state land. The CO followed up on the investigation and found tractor marks that ran from the site to the residence where the logs were hidden.

When confronted the subject confessed and awaits his day in court.

[Kirk_Allen]

I wonder if the guy can spell STUPID

[Ron Scott]

Guess not! Here's another one from the Michigan CO's.

A subject was caught cutting wood in a state game area by a CO. The subject admitted to the officer that he had more stolen wood at his residence and when the officer requested that the wood be returned the subject brought the wood to the officer who in turn ticketed the subject for stealing the wood.

[just_sawing]

Try your luck in Tennessee
My mom and dad were called that someone was cutting timber on poperty they owned.
They went there (Jackson County) and found that two individuals had cut there poprty off then went across the creek and cut there's Instead of taking them to cival court they allowed the prosicuter Tommy Thomson to procesicuet them for the thieft. They waited coming to court each time it was to come up until they were told today is the day. They went and found that Tommy Thompson had not procicuited because cutting timber wasn't worth the states time and energy. The day was the statute of limitations that stopped cival proceeding also.
Yeah for TN.

[sawguy21]

That is infuriating.

[Ron Scott]

Have a professional forester value your "stolen" timber and resource damages and take the trespasser to civil court for the damages.

Many prosecutors and attorneys don't understand timber values.

[Furby]

It's a bit late now if the statute of limitations have run out, Ron.

[Ron Scott]

Michigan

The person responsible, is charged with starting the April 30 fire that blazed across 6,000 Huron National Forest acres south of Luzerne for five days. He faces up to 90 days in jail, $1,000 fine and restitution of fire costs that reporterdly could reach $800,000.

[Phorester]

Away back in the 1980s when there was a wood stove and firewood craze here, an elderly lady heard a bunch of yelling and cussing in her driveway one night.  She called the sheriff. A deputy came and found 3 men stealing a load of firewood out of her yard.

They might have gotten away with it, but the yelling and cussing she heard was from one of these idiots when his buddy slammed the pickup tailgate on his thumb, cutting off about 1/2 inch of it.  He was not in a good mood at that point.  When the deputy got there he was whupping up on his buddy who slammed the tailgate, and the other feller was trying to separate'em.

After arresting all 3 and while the poor guy with the short thumb was hauled off to the local hospital, the deputy made the other two neatly stack the firewood on the back porch for the lady.  The pickup was also confiscated. 

[sawguy21]

  No wonder they were thieves. They were too stupid to hold a job.

[SwampDonkey]

I was bucking and stacking my firewood in the yard a couple years ago and this stranger comes along and stops. He gets out and asked me if this was his wood I was cutting up into firewood.  I never saw the guy in my life and said. No, I'm quite certain where this wood came from and I know it's not yours.  This spring I found out who he was because I thinned little trees in his woodlot (with signed consent) that he thought someone was taking wood from. I don't think he remembered me, but I was wondering how someone was going to cut firewood the size I was cutting from 12 year old trees.

[Ron Scott]

Father and Son Fined for Tree Cutting in the Chippewa National Forest

On Jan. 31, sixty-five year-old Arvid C. Bourman and his 37-year old son Arvid C. Bourman, Jr. were fined $30,000 for illegally cutting down about 250 trees in the Chippewa National Forest (Minn.).  In addition to the fine, they each received two years probation and are banned from the forest for two years.  On Oct. 12, 2006, a Forest Service agent saw the Bourmans cutting down the trees and placing them into a log loader.  According to the plea agreements, from November 2003 to October 2006, the Bourmans cut about 250 trees from the forest illegally. 

[rebocardo]

Sometimes like father like son is not a good thing.

[WDH]

I believe that the penalties for stealing wood should be stiffer.

[Phorester]

A few years ago a local logger told me about his experience logging in our local National Forest.  He had left half a dozen red oak sawlogs on the landing Friday afternoon.  When he came back Monday morning, all that was there were little piles of sawdust about 18" apart.

[SwampDonkey]

It's getting to be you can't leave stacked firewood in the woodlot over the summer. Thieves move in on their casual evening and weekend drives.

[clousert]

A Pennsylvania sawmill that I've worked with recently purchased standing timber from a landowner for a considerable some of money.  A forester brokered the deal.  The sawmill paid the landowner $20,000 deposit, as per the contract.  About the time they were ready to move into the job, the landowner stopped them.  He said he had changed his mind.  In Pennsylvania, deposits are not required to be paid back, and the landowner just decided to keep the money.

When the sawmill pulled out the contract, low and behold the landowner had never signed, even though the sawmill had.  Apparently an oversight by the forester?

Needless to say, there were some unhappy sawmill operators, and that one is going to court.

BE SURE YOUR CONTRACTS ARE SIGNED BY BOTH PARTIES BEFORE DOWNPAYMENT.

[ely]

two things i have learned thus far in this thread
1. lots of thieves live in mich.
2. its easy being a cop in mich.

[zopi]

2. its easy being a cop in mich.

outside of detroit...

[Ron Wenrich]

I think I'd hold the forester's feet to the fire on that one.  The forester has the responsibility of delivering cash and contracts. 

I've also seen some where the consultant marked over the line, then said he wasn't to blame.  Unfortunately, he designated the line, not the landowner.

[SwampDonkey]

I've also seen some where the consultant marked over the line, then said he wasn't to blame.  Unfortunately, he designated the line, not the landowner.

Unfortunately, the cases that we've seen here in NB have not gotten a conviction over that. You have to prove intent, and that's near impossible.

[Ron Scott]

Yes, the forester should have insured that the contract was signed by the landowner as the "seller" and the timber purchaser as the "buyer". The forester should have also been responsible for collecting all payments and administering the contract on through to completion of the timber harvest.

[Ron Scott]

This happened nearby.

http://www.cadillacnews.com/news_story/?story_id=1792941&year=2011&issue=20110413

[clww]

Gotta love them Tree Huggers!
I'm hoping they get 5 years for each piece of equipment they torched plus restitution.

[timerover51]

Interesting news article, Ron.  When I was in the Army in Alaska in the 1970s, right after the Alaskan Pipe Line was finished, there were several attempts to blow holes in the line or otherwise damage it.  Just about every one was traced back to eco-terrorists.  Fortunately, their knowledge of explosives and pipelines was extremely limited, so no significant damage was done.

I also would be that every one of the indicted individuals has lived in a house made primarily from wood, and has no problems using materials or equipment made from wood.

[WildDog]

Its the start of winter here and it brings out the illegal firewood getters on the Travelling Stock Routes. Usually dealt with by caution or penalty infringement notice. My main gripe is they rarely take fallen timber and fall standing stuff, good nesting hollows take about 100 years to form in these old hardwoods. Many times trees are left hung up or over fences etc, most of these guys are inexperienced with a saw and in a hurry. We have plenty of other jobs to do and a massive area to cover but this time of the year I focus heavily on it, I don't like to see the habitat destroyed and want to deter anyone hurting themselves on my patch. Without going to much into it, an old guy I detected 2 weeks ago with half a truck load and a couple of fallen trees said during the interview, "Don't mind if I sit down, this is the 1st real physical activity I have had since major heart surgery last year."  

[Grunex]

Checking up on a vehicle that a CO saw following a two track on state land, the CO blocked the exit and truged in on foot and caught the vehicle parked by a loggers pile of cut hardwood trees.

The subjects were helping themselves to the wood until the officer told them to put the wood back. They were given tickets. (The logger might not have been so lenient)

 

I hate a thief............I just hate em. 

[Grunex]

Its the start of winter here and it brings out the illegal firewood getters on the Travelling Stock Routes. Usually dealt with by caution or penalty infringement notice. My main gripe is they rarely take fallen timber and fall standing stuff, good nesting hollows take about 100 years to form in these old hardwoods. Many times trees are left hung up or over fences etc, most of these guys are inexperienced with a saw and in a hurry. We have plenty of other jobs to do and a massive area to cover but this time of the year I focus heavily on it, I don't like to see the habitat destroyed and want to deter anyone hurting themselves on my patch. Without going to much into it, an old guy I detected 2 weeks ago with half a truck load and a couple of fallen trees said during the interview, "Don't mind if I sit down, this is the 1st real physical activity I have had since major heart surgery last year."  

Cheapest firewood around our area is to go and see the DNR about a fuelwood permit, they then show you when and where you can cut but generally speaking, you will end up with some sort of dead elm or something of that nature.  I like the dead elm personally because it burns so darn hot! (not as hot as white oak of course.) And your not actually laying waste to a good stand of growing or not  quite harvestable oaks.
 

[Ron Scott]

Full Court Press’ gears up to eradicate marijuana in Northern California

Now in its fifth year, “Full Court Press” will run July 17 through August 5 as a multi-agency operation to eradicate illegal marijuana grows from public lands, specifically the Mendocino National Forest.  The objective is to arrest those involved in illegal cultivation and reduce the supply of illegal marijuana by eradicating and reclaiming the sites.  Last year, 4.3 million plants were eradicated and approximately 3.2 million were seized on public lands.  Along with identifying those involved in cultivation, this year’s operation will also focus on environmental impacts to public lands including damage to wildlife habitat, effects of hazardous chemicals and removal of hundreds of pounds of debris. 

The Chief's Newletter

[SwampDonkey]

If they ran a pre-commercial thinning program, they would find a whole lot more pot gardens. 

[Ron Scott]

I agree, but that isn't in the law enforcement agents "job description".

[mad murdock]

the illegal marijuana problem is not just on federal and state forest land, the company I work for does marijuana surveys every year on their timberland in N. cal, in Humbolt co and a couple other NoCal counties, the pics I have seen of these surveys is absolutely astounding!  You almost cannot believe the lenghts the people go to, in growing the stuff.  The newest thing is for mexican drug gangs to bring labor across the border (illegal aliens), and as payment for passage here, they make them live in the woods, usually in an area too far to walk out, and with provisipons for only a few days at a time, they resupply and check up on them often.  Then when they have grown 1 crop they let them go their way.  It is a big problem all across the PNW, there have been grow operations run by these gangs found in areas within miles of my place, thousands of plants. One cannot be too careful when in the woods, you never know who you may come across.

[cutterboy]

A number of years ago I was scoutmaster for a boy scout troop and we were hiking in a forest area owned by the town of Athol Massachuetts and we came to a clearing in the woods that was filled with growing marijuana plants. Probably about 100 plants. We didn't see any body else there and I moved the boys along as quickly as I could. I watched to make sure none of the boys took any leaves home with them, but most of them (ages 11-17) knew what the plants were.

The police were notified, but I never heard any more about them.

[Ron Scott]

These can be very dangerous areas to encounter in forest areas. They may be guarded and booby trapped, so don't hang around. Report them to law enforcement for appropriate action.

[WDH]

We had a big patch on our company land that was under surveillance by the authorities round the clock.  Early one morning about 4:00 a.m. a major thunderstorm came through and all the authorities retreated to their vehicles.  When the storm was over and they came back to their posts, the crop was gone.  Harvested  .

[SwampDonkey]

Some folks travel several miles back in the bush like Ron says. But around here the croppers can drive there or there is about no chance the bums would be growing there. You probably can't grow it under forest canopy, so it's on clearcuts, thus can be driven to by anyone.

There is a lot of aerial surveillance around from planes to choppers anywhere I have been on crown land. Most of it is for management, but I'm sure they report anything illegal.

[Ron Scott]

Environmentalist Ticketed for timber Sale Violation

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/noted-environmentalist-ticketed-for-timber-sale-violation/article_34db78b6-59fc-11e1-9e0d-001871e3ce6c.html

[WDH]

What a hypocrite.

[Okrafarmer]

A little background. I grew up in rural Maine-- ha, Maine is rural. Except Portland, which is a suburb of Boston. Anyway, we lived on a gravel road that was only maintained up to our house. Beyond that it deteriorated into the ubiquitous New England logging road. If you went about three miles along the logging road, you could get to where another road was maintained from somewhere else, and you could get back onto the maintained road system of the next town over.

So. when I was about 8 yo,  my dad woke up in the middle of the night to hear a motor running and some strange sounds coming from out by the logging road. He went to my bedroom to listen (I never woke up). He opened the window and heard some drunk guys with a vehicle out at the muddy log road, carrying on. Their conversation went something like this (quite loudly) :

"Hey, why'd ya have ta come through heeya anyhow? We ought ta tuhn around."
"We can't tuhn around. We'd get stuck. I don't wanna get stuck again."
"Well, this ought to do the trick. How much do ya spose we oughta put?"
"I dunno. I guess we got half a co'd in theya already."
Clunk. Clunk. Clunk.

My dad instantly realized they were stealing his firewood he had stacked by the logging road. He ran outside, grabbing his shotgun on the way. He got out and found the men loading his firewood into their passenger van. It was facing out-- they had just driven all the way through the logging road and came out to firm ground. Evidently they did not realize they were "out of the woods" because they were desperately piling firewood in the back of the van for ballast.

Anyway, my dad ran out there in front of the van (in the headlights) just as they were starting to pull out, and yelled, "Are you going to put that wood back, or am I going to blow a hole in your radiator?"

They all jumped out of their socks, jumped out, and were saying, "what, is this your wood? We were just gonna borrow it! We're sorry! Where did you come from? What are you doing out here in the woods? We didn't know anybody lived around here! We'll put it back! We're sorry! We just thought we were gonna get stuck again! We'll put it right back!

They were lifting the sticks of firewood out of the back of the van and stacking it neatly on the ground like it were boxes of eggs or something, setting it down gently so as not to damage it. My dad thought that was so funny, he felt a little bad, and said, "You don't have to stack it." They said, "Oh, we'll stack it, we'll stack it!" And they did. My dad faded into the night and watched from a distance. When they had it all out, they piled back in the van and peeled out in the gravel and roared down the road to get the dodge out of dodge.

In the morning, I wondered what that neat little pile of wood was doing by the end of the driveway.... 

[Bogue Chitto]

My brother and I Planted 400 acres of pines and the next winter someone burned them off.  We planted the next year and again someone burned them.  Finally the third time the forestry dept. caught him.  The Forestry dept was in a plane and saw him throwing fire from his truck window as he went down the road.  He got 10 years in jail I think. 

[Bobus2003]

Environmentalist Ticketed for timber Sale Violation

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/noted-environmentalist-ticketed-for-timber-sale-violation/article_34db78b6-59fc-11e1-9e0d-001871e3ce6c.html

Gotta love ole Brian Brademeyer...
Heres another article:

http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/opinion/woster-tree-hugger-remarked-trees-to-cut/article_461766bc-59c0-11e1-b299-0019bb2963f4.html

[Dave VH]

My buddy just lost 40 cherry trees off of his property in South Bend Indiana.  A grapple truck came and picked them up, then stole my buddies grapple next to his bobcat.  The neighbors saw it all happen,  since it was obviously a logging truck, they didn't think anything of it.  I felt real bad for the guy since so far the police hadn't done much about it yet.  On a selfish note, he was going to sell the logs to me.

[Cedarman]

Dave, from your point of view, be glad he hadn't sold them to you and they were your logs.

[Dave VH]

absolutley..........  I still feel bad for the guy