Tree Thieves
Crime and Survival in North America's Woods
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4.3 • 3 Ratings
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
SHORTLISTED FOR THE COLUMBIA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM J. ANTHONY LUKAS BOOK AWARD
LONGLISTED FOR THE 2023 PEN/JOHN KENNETH GALBRAITH AWARD FOR NONFICTION
FINALIST FOR THE NELLIE BY CHANTICLEER INTERNATIONAL BOOK AWARDS FOR JOURNALISTIC NON-FICTION
A gripping investigation of the billion-dollar timber black market “and a fascinating examination of the deep and troubled relationship between people and forests” (Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts).
There's a strong chance that chair you are sitting on was made from stolen lumber. In Tree Thieves, Lyndsie Bourgon takes us deep into the underbelly of the illegal timber market. As she traces three timber poaching cases, she introduces us to tree poachers, law enforcement, forensic wood specialists, the enigmatic residents of former logging communities, environmental activists, international timber cartels, and indigenous communities along the way.
Old-growth trees are invaluable and irreplaceable for both humans and wildlife, and are the oldest living things on earth. But the morality of tree poaching is not as simple as we might think: stealing trees is a form of deeply rooted protest, and a side effect of environmental preservation and protection that doesn't include communities that have been uprooted or marginalized when park boundaries are drawn. As Bourgon discovers, failing to include working class and rural communities in the preservation of these awe-inducing ecosystems can lead to catastrophic results.
Featuring excellent investigative reporting, fascinating characters, logging history, political analysis, and cutting-edge tree science, Tree Thieves takes readers on a thrilling journey into the intrigue, crime, and incredible complexity sheltered under the forest canopy.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian Bourgon explores the lucrative and complex crime of timber poaching in her fascinating debut. An estimated $1 billion worth of wood is poached annually in North America alone, Bourgon writes, and while the forest was once seen as "a common source of commodities or privileges," there's long been a tension resulting from conservation efforts and private forest management initiatives that too often "disregard and marginalize the working-class people who not only live among the trees but rely on them to survive." As well, historically, the creation of national and state parks displaced Indigenous and logging communities throughout the Pacific Northwest, and broader industry declines led to widespread job loss and an increase in poverty levels in logging communities. As such, Bourgon posits that timber poaching can be "an act to reclaim one's place in a rapidly changing world" and promotes changing forest management policies so that they take into account the communities involved. Bourgon's thoughtful approach and sharp investigative reporting will give environmentalists, policymakers, and park lovers a new perspective on the consequences of prioritizing endangered environments at the expense of the people who live in them. Nature lovers, take note.
Customer Reviews
Learned so much
Thank you for sharing knowledge about trees this was fascinating start to finish!!