06 March 2014

"Burl poaching" threatens redwood trees


Many years ago one of my neighbors asked permission to cut a burl from a living tree in my woods.  I agreed, and learned at the time that burls are coveted by people with woodworking skills for their intricate grain patterns.  But some people don't ask permission...
The practice — known as burl poaching — has become so prevalent along the Northern California coast that Redwood National and State Parks on Saturday started closing the popular Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway at night in a desperate attempt to deter thieves.

Law enforcement Ranger Laura Denny said Tuesday that poachers have been stalking the remote reaches of the park with their chain saws and ATVs for decades, but lately the size and frequency of thefts have been on the rise.

"When I interview suspects, that is the (reason) they say: their addiction to drugs and they can't find jobs," she said. Her husband, park district interpretation supervisor Jeff Denny, said it is comparable to poor people poaching rare rhinos in Africa to sell their horns. Jobs are hard to come by since the timber and commercial fishing industries went into decline...

A redwood tree can survive the practice, but the legacy of the organism that could be 1,000 years old is threatened, because the burl is where it sprouts a clone before dying. Sprouting from burls is the prevalent method of redwood propagation, and the source of the Latin name for coast redwood, Sequoia semper vierens, or forever living, he added...

The good stuff with a lacey grain full of eyes will go for $2 to $3 a pound, unseasoned. Finished dining room tables are being offered for $13,000 on eBay...

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