Taking tree from wrong site could bring hefty penalty

When it comes to harvesting Christmas trees and holiday boughs, not all public lands are equal.

The U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management sell $5 permits for U-cut trees, but harvesting a tree from Washington’s state trust lands can result in a $1,000 fine and up to a year in jail.

Cutting is strictly off-limits on the 2.1 million acres of state trust forests, which generate revenue for public school construction. But each year, dozens of offenses are reported, said Larry Raedel, the Department of Natural Resources’ chief of law enforcement.

Cedar is one of the most common thefts, with scofflaws stripping the branches and selling the fragrant greens on the black market, he said. The trees usually die from the scalping. The state also has lost whole plantations of young evergreens, which were cut and sold for Christmas trees.

“It’s really a cat-and-mouse game out there,” Raedel said. “You see the damage, you come across it, but there’s nobody out there” to arrest.

Earlier this year, a hiker reported seeing bough cutters and a van on the Capitol Forest near Olympia. The perpetrators fled, but law enforcement officials were able to confiscate their van and the greens.

Raedel encourages citizens to report suspicious activity, including license plates and vehicle descriptions, which help officers pursue leads. The Department of Natural Resources also works closely with the florist industry to crack down on black market boughs.

Raedel suspects that thefts of individual trees from state lands are on the rise, with fewer people willing to pay $25 to $40 for a Christmas tree during the economic downturn.

But there’s a legal alternative through the Forest Service and BLM, which sell permits to cut trees on federal lands. People can take their families into the woods to cut a tree, enjoy the day and stay on the right side of the law, Raedel said.