Georgia timber might seem like a well-rooted asset, but thieves actually are making off with enough truckloads of trees that the state Legislature is considering tripling penalties and empowering state foresters to arrest crooks.
“We’re trying to make a disincentive to steal timber,” said state Rep. Chuck Williams, R-Watkinsville, who is a tree farmer and the bill’s sponsor. His House Bill 790 would make thieves liable in civil court for three times the value of timber they steal or damage. Right now, it’s a one-to-one liability and in Williams’ opinion is not a strong deterrent.
It also would give foresters of the Georgia Forestry Commission the power to make arrests in timber theft cases, something they can already do in arson investigations.
Timber theft is an unfamiliar crime to sheriffs’ offices and district attorneys, and evidence turns into milled planks and pulp quickly. That’s part of why Williams wants to empower state foresters to investigate theft cases: They already have good relationships with growers and understand the crime.
There are several ways to loot the roughly $1,000 per acre that timber is worth. One is an invasion by a rogue logging crew, something that can happen undetected, especially when the landowner is an absentee.
From The Telegraph: https://www.macon.com/2014/01/22/2893372/timber-thieving-targeted-at-capitol.html