NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Officials in Tennessee and Iowa are alerting woodland owners of increased incidents of timber theft in their states.

In Tennessee, the state’s agricultural crime unit has seen a rise in the number of cases it’s investigating, said David Arnold, state forester with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. White oak, required by state law to be used in barrels to store and cure Kentucky bourbon and Tennessee whiskey, is a popular target for thieves in the state.

Timber thieves in Iowa are focusing on black walnut trees, used to make veneer, said Capt. Brian Smith, district supervisor with the state’s Department of Natural Resources. Thieves are also interested in silver maple and cottonwood, which are used to make pallets.

The timber market in Tennessee is pretty active right now, Arnold noted, adding it has improved over the last couple of months. He said he was made aware earlier this year of the increase in timber thefts but said the trend could have started last year.

“The increase in cases opened our eyes that we needed to get the word out,” Arnold explained. “Anytime something has value, it presents an opportunity for rascals to come out. We are seeing a spike (in thefts). But I don’t want to give people the impression there are timber thieves behind every tree.”

Most theft cases in the state appear to be carried out by local residents, but it’s possible some thieves are from out of state, Arnold noted. The cases he’s aware of were on private land but theft can also occur on public lands, he said.

The remoteness of parts of the state and the number of absentee landowners contribute to the problem of timber theft, Arnold said. It is illegal in the state to steal timber, which is defined as someone harvesting timber that isn’t theirs, he said.

Sometimes, someone may accidently harvest timber over the property boundary, Arnold noted. The civil penalty for that is two times the value of the timber. If it’s done on purpose and the person knew the timber wasn’t theirs, the civil penalty is three times the value.

The most proactive thing landowners can do is develop a relationship with a private forestry consultant, he said. “A forester can help you put in place a long-term plan for forest management. They can also act as an agent for timber sales and if there is a timber theft, can act as an agent then as well.”

Landowners should be sure property boundaries are well marked. Absentee landowners should try to have eyes on the property as much as possible, either through visits or relying on a trusted neighbor to monitor it. Owners should have a timber inventory and know the value of what they have.

Iowa officials have seen a dramatic uptick in timber theft during the last five years, Smith noted. Most of the black walnut timber stolen in the state ends up overseas, more specifically in China, he said.

The increase in timber theft might be related in part to a decrease in metal prices, Smith noted. In the past, people looking for money might have stolen copper from abandoned homes and buildings, but when those prices fell, they may have switched over to timber, he explained.

Some of the theft may be from those looking for money to feed a drug habit, he said. “They may be in a pickup with a homemade trailer and take two-three walnut logs at a time. They steal just enough to be able to buy drugs.”

Others may be associated with actual timber buying companies, Smith said. “They have skidders, contract cutters to cut the trees, logging trucks and log hauling semis. They’re very sophisticated and have specific equipment. It’s a small percentage (of companies) doing things illegally. But there are some commercial ventures that just don’t play by the rules.”

The rules include that anyone buying or selling timber in the state must be a bonded timber buyer, Smith stated. While sawmills aren’t required to check if a seller is bonded, the ethical mills have turned away those wanting to sell just a few logs, he said.

Those who are bonded and insured “have a vested interest in the industry,” he said. “When they see someone they don’t think should be there, they’ve called and turned them in.”

Those caught stealing could face criminal charges for trespassing, theft and a violation of the bonded timber law. They could also be required to pay triple the amount of the value of the timber stolen to the landowner.

The loss of a landowner’s property isn’t the only concern if timber is stolen, Smith explained. “There’s also the ecological loss. These trees are 50, 100, 150 years old. If you take those trees out, you’ve removed those genetics. It goes far beyond the monetary aspect.”

Other states in the region report varying degrees of problems with timber theft.

In Indiana, the volume of timber stolen when at its worse is less than 1 percent of the total volume harvested in the state, making it a minor issue when looking at the whole, said Duane McCoy, timber buyer licensing forester with the Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Forestry. “However, it is a significant issue to the people whose timber has been taken, and that significance can take different and many forms, both economic and intrinsic. Timber being wrongfully harvested happens on a regular basis for various reasons, but commonly can occur due to property lines being incorrectly identified. In Indiana, it can be common to see increases in ‘timber theft’ in times when the economy is not favorable and when specific tree species grow in value, which makes them desirable to people who are looking for quick money.”

Timber theft on publicly managed lands in Michigan is an ongoing issue, but an official with the state’s Department of Natural Resources said he wouldn’t characterize it as a big problem. “The state forest is about 4 million acres and the three national forests in Michigan total about 2.8 million acres,” said Doug Heym, unit manager, timber sales and utilization, in the department’s forest resources division. “As you can imagine, the forests are in remote areas. It is not uncommon to find stumps next to the road where no cutting has been authorized.”

Thieves in the state are looking for larger sawtimber trees, primarily hardwoods, such as northern red oak and sugar maple, he said.

The Michigan Department of Agriculture & Rural Development (MDARD) sometimes hears about theft or fraud from private forest owners, said Jessy J. Sielski, the department’s deputy public information officer. MDARD encourages private forest owners to be present, active managers of their forests, he said. “When forest owners work with public agencies like MDARD and their local conservation district, they know we are working in their best interest. And we can help them avoid many of the scenarios in which theft or fraud can occur, such as faulty contracts, disreputable harvesters and other opportunists.”