California park rangers said this week that they were searching for two men suspected of hacking more than 50 feet of wood from an old-growth redwood log in Humboldt Redwoods State Park.
In the past six months, rangers have made four arrests related to redwood poaching from the park, California State Parks said in a Tuesday news release.
Their latest targets are two men who were filmed by surveillance cameras as they loaded a Dodge Ram pickup truck with three-foot segments of a downed tree near Mattole Road.
“In addition to the removal of a log that would provide hundreds of years of crucial nutrients to the forest, the suspects are driving off-road to get to the log, causing deep ruts and significant damage to the forest floor,” the agency said.
The suspects’ vehicle had an extended cab, two-tone paint and a large dent on the rear passenger fender, California State Parks said. Images released by the agency show the truck stacked with logs and the decimated redwood log in the light of day.
Parks officials didn’t say what the suspects intended to use the wood for, but old-growth redwood is highly valuable, with a 22-pound slab retailing for more than $500.
The alleged theft occurred less than 50 miles from the small Humboldt County town of Redway, where a homeowner recently ruffled feathers for removing four of the giant trees from his property.