NOTE: This is part two of the Planet Money newsletter series about Orick, California’s struggles. You can find Part 1 here, “The story of a troubled American town at the doorstep of nature’s paradise.”
Redwood National Park and State Park rangers climbed into their cars on the morning of March 27th. They arrived at their destination in no time: Orick, California. This is the same place where the park headquarters are located. They pulled up to the house and grabbed their AR-15s. They pounded the door with their guns, shouting that they had a search warrant.
One resident opened the door and the rangers started searching the property. They went around the property, and two of them entered the backyard to find a shed. They opened the shed with their semi-automatic rifles and were ready to shoot. Hughes said, “If you shoot at me, you’re going have all hell to do it,”
Hughes was taken into custody by park rangers. They found brass knuckles and a handgun in the property. A camera that they believed was stolen from the park was also found. There was also a bag containing methamphetamine traces and four meth pipe pipes. The rangers were not there to help with any of this. They kept searching for the real thing. They found it, chunks of illegally poached redwood, along a fence and under a cover in a woodworking workshop.
Most people associate park rangers with friendly nature guides wearing fun hats. Redwood National and State Parks has transformed the park rangers into a sort of anti-poaching police force. Their mission is to protect old-growth redwood forests. Their investigations are so intense that they could easily be episodes on a TV series. Think CSI: Redwood Forest.
Lyndsie Bourgon, National Geographic Explorer and writer, has written a new book that dives into the fascinating criminal world behind tree theft and attempts to stop it. It is called Tree Thieves. Crime and Survival in North America’s Woods. Much of the book focuses on poaching in Orick, which is the southern gateway to Redwood National and State Parks.
The former logging community of Orick in California is reminiscent of other cities and rural areas that were affected by the atomic bomb of industrialization. Man-made structures are destroyed by the blight. High rates of poverty and unemployment are a major problem. To cope, people resort to crime, drugs, and alcohol.
Bourgon’s book focuses on Orick crime, but it has a distinct local flavor. Orick residents were caught illegally harvesting redwood trees called “burls” over the past decade.
Bourgon refers to burls as “big and gnarly bumps on trees that have been covered in bark.” Bourgon says that burls form when trees are in distress. Sometimes that could be a fungal infection, lightning strike, or even a fire. The burl is the tree’s way of redirecting all its resources to healing the area. It creates a burl with a lot of genetic material. Because it has a lot genetic material, burls can often be used to grow new trees.
Burls are important for the health of trees. However, they can also be very valuable financially, fetching up to thousands of dollars per slab. Bourgon states that they produce a beautiful piece of grained wood, which is very easy to carve. It doesn’t have many knots or blemishes. They are used to make tables, sculptures and statues. They were used in luxury goods, such as the consoles in cars, that are made in foreign countries.
Money doesn’t grow in trees. But tell the burl poachers of the region that they are wrong. Stephen Troy, chief ranger for Redwood National Parks and State Parks, says that it’s “quick money.” Troy claims that they have discovered that poachers are able to quickly sell their burl heists on the streets to local buyers through their investigations. Troy states that they have discovered illegal burlwood in Orick, Eureka and Crescent City to the north.
Orick’s burl industry is still very lucrative. You’ll find artisanal shops selling sculptures, furniture and trinkets made from burlwood as you drive up Highway 101 aEUR”, also known in these parts as Redwood Highway aEUR”. It’s both a cultural pastime as well as a means of earning a living. These products display incredible craftsmanship and artistry. However, some of the wood aEUR” is illegally harvested from redwood trees on land owned by national and state parks.
Poachers use chainsaws to sneak into woods at night in an attempt to steal burlwood. Troy states that they will usually do this in stormy weather when it is less likely for people or animals to catch them. They cut large sections of trees off, potentially opening them up for infection and potentially threatening the tree’s ability to stand. Bourgon explains that the burl acts as a protective reproductive measure. If you lose the burl you may also lose that tree’s ability to reproduce.
Around 15 years ago, articles about poaching in Redwood National Parks and State Parks started to appear. However, back then the problem was not theft of live trees but rather dead redwood logs. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that although thieves have not started to chop down live trees yet, authorities are concerned that this will increase as the supply of logs becomes less plentiful.
According to Erin Gates (Deputy Superintendent of Redwood National and State Parks), poaching of downed trees remains a grave problem for the ecological health and well-being of the forest. The problem has only gotten worse in the past decade. Poachers have been poaching live trees in parks since 2012 at the latest. They cut down burls and even felled entire old-growth redwoods to get burlwood. Officials from the park have discovered dozens of poaching spots. Ranger Troy believes that this is only the tip of an iceberg.
Gates views illegal burl poaching, which Gates calls the latest chapter in a centuries-old story: the destruction of the coastal redwood forest that once covered two million acres on the West Coast. Gates states that “mostly all the old-growth redwoods have been destroyed.” There are only 4 % of them remaining. Redwood National Parks and State Parks are responsible for protecting approximately 40% of the remaining trees. With the decline in private land supply, the park is becoming a more frequent target. These trees can live up to 2,000 years, so they are difficult to replace.
The park has invested in motion detectors and cameras to capture poachers. This technology was used to capture Derek Hughes, a poacher. A park ranger discovered a hidden poaching site in the park and suspected that the poacher would return to the area to steal more burls. He hid motion-activated cameras inside the forest. The footage was analyzed by the rangers and they identified Derek Hughes as the suspect. It’s a small community. Rangers used the footage to obtain a warrant for Hughes’ residence. They eventually found evidence of burl theft.
Hughes pleaded guilty in the end to felony vandalism. He was sentenced to two years probation, a $1,200 penalty, and 400 hours community service. Hughes is also prohibited from Redwood National Parks and State Parks.
Orick residents have had a long-standing beef with the national parks. They see its expansion and subsequent management as the cause of their demise. In the past, tension was over the park’s prohibition of logging. This was once the livelihood of the Orick residents. But today, tensions revolve around the policies and daily conduct of park officials.
Redwood National Parks and State Parks declared burl-poaching a “crisis” in the early 2010s and increased law enforcement efforts. Their mission is to preserve this unique, ancient redwood forest. Bourgon reports that it has also exacerbated tensions between Orick and the parks.
Some locals say the national park sometimes sounds like an occupying force. Bourgon said that Redwood National Park rangers pull over people if they suspect they may be carrying illegally harvested wood or breaking any other laws. The park also partners with Save The Redwoods League to offer a $5,000 reward for anyone who poaches redwoods. This environmental group has been protecting redwoods for more than 100 years.
Bourgon states, “You can picture aEUR in an area that’s been really affected by Save The Redwoods League work and the park aEUR,” how that might be perceived.”
Bourgon believes tree poaching is a result of desperation in areas without much else. Orick fell into a downward spiral after the collapse of the logging industry. Orick was told by officials that the park would prosper as more people visit the area. It could not be! It is right next to the parks. Orick, despite the prime location and the high flow of tourists through the area, has not been able to take advantage of its attractive geography.
Bourgon writes that Orick is caught in a vicious cycle: Orick’s reputation for drug use and unsightly properties deters any investor who might be interested in making it a permanent residence or a destination where tourists could want to stay. Gregg Foster, executive director of Redwood Region Economic Development Commission sees a large part of the problem in a lack public investment in infrastructure upkeep and confusing regulations that discourage private investment.
Bourgon believes that Redwood National Parks and State Parks should employ more locals. This could do double duty by easing tensions in the community and creating greater opportunities for those who live nearby. Gates states that park jobs are open to all. “We encourage members of the local community to apply for these jobs, but we don’t have any control over their decisions about whether or not they apply.”
Economists have paid more attention in recent years to the complex problems caused by deindustrialization. As the classic economic theory predicted, people don’t move to better opportunities if their main source of income is gone. Many people stay in their homes and continue to suffer, even when their communities fall. Some resort to crime in desperate times, such as the sale of drugs and theft of precious redwood burls. This is a common story that we have seen repeated in ex-coal-mining communities, inner-city areas, and places that lost manufacturing due to the flood of Chinese-made goods.
Economists and policymakers are turning to place-based policies, policies that help economically distressed areas get out of their economic rut. Orick aEUR”, which is located at the doorstep to some of the most beautiful parks in the world, would be a great candidate for smart policies. It’s obvious that if the people living there were able to find good jobs and had an incentive to not sneak into the parks at night with chainsaws in hand it would not only benefit the community but also the redwoods.
