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Tree Thieves: Crime and Survival in North America's Woods
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52/99
Critics
38/99
Readers
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Scholars
27/99
Rating
77/99
Volume
19/99
Rating
58/99
Volume
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About This Book
A gripping account of the billion-dollar timber black market -- and how it intersects with environmentalism, class, and culture.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.
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Reviews
"Focusing primarily on forestry in the Pacific Northwest, the author explains how timber poaching—although difficult to prosecute—is an offense with significant long-term ramifications to the global economy and the well-being of all living creatures."
"She sees — and does her best to convey — the poachers and their pursuers in an evenhanded manner ..."
"Bourgon, who's written on the topic for National Geographic and Smithsonian, brings a nuanced understanding to an important, overlooked environmental issue."
"An enlightening and well-balanced account of the potential effects of environmental protections on local communities."
"The subtitle of Tree Thieves' promises a North American focus, but some of its strongest chapters take place in the Amazon Basin, where an estimated 80% of all Amazonian wood harvested is poached."
"Bourgon explores the lucrative and complex crime of timber poaching in her fascinating debut ..."
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