Country's Biggest Timber Theft

Country’s Biggest Timber Theft

Logging company fined $100 million  Last week, Malaysian timber company, Concord Pacific, was sentenced to pay four forest tribes for environmental destruction in the first ruling of its kind for Papua New Guinea.  A search of illegal logging finds a number of hits on Google news, mostly in foreign countries and especially in rainforest regions.

One of the interesting developments is the DNA tracking of logs. “Australian researchers say DNA fingerprinting of lumber products can make it harder for illegal loggers to get away with destroying protected rainforests”  link.

Illegal logging happens here also but on a relatively smaller scale.  The biggest reason for small scale logging “errors” is a “misunderstanding” of the area being cut.  And if caught the usual compensation is the economic value of the board feet cut.  But that doesn’t replace the tree(s), at least, not for several generations.

Recently, there was a dispute between the owners of the land Subway is on and the folks at our Community Garden.  Apparently, based on some bad information some cottonwood trees on the Subway property were inappropriately cut down.  A settlement (which, as I understand, in the amount of $20,000) was made out of court.

Neighbor Paul Keller (contributer wild love affair) wrote me awhile back:

 If you didn't already know, the picture you have on your Blog's masthead is looking out at this country's largest timber theft.  Basically that entire clear cut on Huckleberry Mountain is an illegal timber sale. A logger contracted to do a small sale--at the end of Arrah Wanna Road.  And then he just kept cutting and cutting and cutting (as your photo verifies). (I actually know one of the timber fallers who was working for the outfit.)  By the time the authorities finally figured out what the company owner had done, it was too late. He'd already clear cut everything and sold the timber. It was the early 80s and however many hundreds of acres it was, it was the biggest timber theft ever in this country.  After his first hearing, the judge released the guy on bail.  (I can't remember his name---he lived in PDX.)   He then split the scene.  About five years later, the Forest Service Special Law Enforcement guy who had been assigned to the original case/investigation was on vacation up in Alaska fishing in some remote place. He walked into the town's only bar---and guess who's sitting there.  Yep. The law enforcement guy said hello _____ and he said hello _____ and the Law Enforcement guy pulled out his gun and arrested him.   It was big news in the papers.  I think the guy got six or seven years in the slammer---maybe more.

So go back and look at our masthead picture and one can clearly see where there was a clear cut on the lower half of the mountain across the valley.