Thieves are stealing valuable growths of bud tissue from the trunks of Coast redwood trees in California, putting their long term survival at risk. Park authorities have responded by closing a road used by the thieves at night.
The Newton B. Drury Parkway – a road through the Prairie Creek Redwoods State Park in California – is to be closed between sunset and sunrise following a spate of redwood tree thefts.
The nocturnal thieves do not steal entire trees, which weight hundreds of tons, but valuable burl and bunion growths, which are cut from both standing and fallen old-growth redwood trees using long-bladed chainsaws. These are then hauled out of the forest on all-terrain vehicles.
Next the wood is manufactured into a host of consumer items, from trinkets such as book ends, coasters, pendants and novelty pens, to wall-clocks, large slabs, tables and other furniture that may sell for over $1,000 in specialist shops or online.
Raw burl-wood sells for $2-3 per pound unseasoned. Hundreds of redwood burl items are on sale on Ebay.
From The Ecologist: https://www.theecologist.org/News/news_round_up/2308967/redwood_thieves_force_california_forest_curfew.html