Poachers take chunks from California redwoods, put majestic trees at risk

http://www.cnn.com/2014/05/06/us/california-redwoods-poaching/

This has been going on since the 1970's when burl tables were in fashion. Greatest damage by far was caused by Charles Hurwietz in the 80's. Charles Hurwietz is a world class crook. In 1975 he headed the Summit Insurance Company that he put into bankruptcy after looting its assets. He was charged with insurance fraud and paid a $400,000 fine.

In 1988 a major Hurweitz group assets United Savings Association of Texas was taken over by the federal government during the savings and loans debacle that resulted from Reagan's deregulating the industry, and the cost to taxpayers for Hurweitz's fraud was $1.6 billion. Charles Hurwietz then used junk bonds floated by Michael Milken (prior to his going to jail) to buy Pacific Lumber. Charles then looted the entire pension fund of Pacific Lumber (much as Mitt Romney looted pension funds of the companies he took over and stripped of assets) and started to cut down every redwood tree he could.

Pacific Lumber was run on a sustainable yield basis for many decades but after Charles Hurweitz took over this stopped and trees were cut at a far greater pace and the hillsides denuded and the resulting erosion killed a lot of streams. I know people who had worked for 30 years at Pacific Lumber and after Hurweitz looted the pension they were forced to go on welfare and there was nothing they could do about it. It is perfectly legal to take money out of a company's pension fund and then pay huge bonuses to the executives, much as the management at Hostess was doing last year.

I think it was going on in the 60's as well. I know it was talked about when we went through in about 65. Probably since the wood was found to make nice furniture. I know that burls could be bought at that time for 100 dollars on up depending on the size right along the road. Sad as it is this is the crap that happens when the economy goes bad. Fine should be passed on to those who buy them. In fact no fine just jail time depending on how big it is. Take the buyers out of the picture and then market goes out as well. So people who buy those nice pieces of wood are just as guilty. I realize there are many private wooded areas that have them. So that problem has to be solved first. Imagine that and my Family logs in Pac NW. but they won't cut unless they replant.