Forum Index > Public Lands Stewardship > Two men sentenced for theft of “music wood” timber in ONP 02/16/18
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 7:28 pm 
(* I could not find a previous thread on this particular incident - hence the new thread. *) == Friday February 16, 2018 16:37 PST National Park Service News Release: ISB Case update - theft of timber from Olympic National Park Two men sentenced for theft of “music wood” timber in Olympic National Park After pleading guilty to theft of timber from Olympic National Park, two men have been sentenced to serve prison time and pay restitution. A federal judge handed down the sentences at two recent court hearings. The charges arose from activity in November 2013, when three men entered the park during the night and felled a big leaf maple tree. A witness reported hearing chainsaws and seeing people in the woods wearing headlamps. A US Park Ranger of Olympic National Park responded to the scene in daylight and found evidence of the crime. Upon hearing chainsaws again the next night, the witness alerted the park. Rangers arrived to find three men cutting and loading the felled maple, and took them into custody. A Special Agent with the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB) investigated the case. Court documents show that among the evidence collected, a receipt indicated the men had sold the wood to an area music wood supplier. Wood retrieved from that supplier matched the wood from the felled maple. “The value of the timber as music wood is estimated to be $8,766,” said the US Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Washington, which prosecuted the case. “The tree as a living part of the Elwha ecosystem is irreplaceable. The natural resources in our federally protected lands belong to all of us, and to future generations – not to thieves making a quick buck.” Michael D. Welches, age 63, will serve 30 days in prison, and Matthew Hutto, age 50, will serve 60 days in prison. Hutto will then serve 2 years probation. Both men must also pay restitution in the amount of $17,533. The third man involved in the crime is currently incarcerated on unrelated charges and is scheduled for sentencing at a later date. -NPS-

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IanB
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PostFri Feb 16, 2018 10:35 pm 
Good news! These days I'll settle for even a wee bit of environmental justice. Kudos to the un-named witness and the rangers that responded. up.gif

"Forget gaining a little knowledge about a lot and strive to learn a lot about a little." - Harvey Manning
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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 1:24 pm 
Does anyone remember where this was?

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 2:58 pm 
I ran multiple searches here prior to posting that and came up with nothing. There was another unrelated maple theft incident, but it was in a completely different location and different players were involved. Seems odd but I think this is the first time I even heard about this one. huh.gif

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 6:23 pm 
This article in the Peninsula Daily News says it was near the abandoned Lake Aldwell boat launch wherever that is.

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 7:50 pm 
Is all Big Leaf Maple timber worth that much? I suspect this was just some clear vertical grain sections. But it's kind of dumb to cut Big Leaf Maple in a park.

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 8:42 pm 
According to the article Welches said it was his understanding that the tree was on state land.

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 8:56 pm 
puzzlr wrote:
Is all Big Leaf Maple timber worth that much?
Unique pieces and burls are worth enough to tempt people to poach. Just an example: http://www.keimlumber.com/maplebigleaf

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 9:26 pm 
The location was at Lake Aldwell boat launch just out of sight northwest of US Hwy 101 McDonald Bridge over the Elwha River. I believe this is not within the boundary of Olympic National Park, but on the "Old Elwha Resort" parcel and is now part of the "Elwha Project Lands" owned by US Government and administered by NPS as authorized by the Elwha Act of 1992. Several occurrences of poaching (of timber or game) become known each year. We don't know how many are unknown...

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 9:56 pm 
puzzlr wrote:
Is all Big Leaf Maple timber worth that much? I suspect this was just some clear vertical grain sections. But it's kind of dumb to cut Big Leaf Maple in a park.
It has a curly, ripply grain to it and makes gorgeous guitars. It is called Music Wood for that reason. A friend of mine has made some very pretty tables out of trees he cut on his property and milled. If you are in a maple grove and see signs of chopping through the bark on maple trees, chances are that some dirtbag is looking for a music wood tree to steal. They chop into the tree trying to see how the grain looks. It is fairly easy, the wood is cut into slabs about 4 feet long and those can be packed out and thrown into any old vehicle and taken on in. I believe there is now a state law similar to laws about cedar--you are supposed to have a permit to haul it. The cops won't stop you from hauling firewood sized maple, although technically you should have a permit. The mill owner also is supposed to check out whether the wood is legal or not. Some of the local tweakers from Packwood and Randle were busted for stealing music wood a while ago. Maybe it will not be in such demand. I heard a segment on NPR about how white guitars are all the rage now. I also read somewhere about research into actually being able to grow maple with the desired characteristics. Some examples of the final product. Quilted Maple

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PostSat Feb 17, 2018 10:05 pm 
If they’d used a crosscut saw they’d have been just fine? A couple years ago we were at LeBar Camp having our tradional winter steaks cooked on grill. I couldn’t figure out where I was hearing a chainsaw. I couldn’t figure out where. Gates were closed. I should have trusted where I thought I heard it, not where was possible. FS had prepped downfall log. WTA was going to move it a couple hundred feet for bridge or creek bog pathway for lower S Fk Skok Trail. And I was hearing someone cut it up. Grr.

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PostSun Feb 18, 2018 7:51 am 
The homeowner of a house I am just finishing, sold over 10,000 dollars worth off music wood off of her property.Permits were a pain in the arse they said but worth it.

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PostSun Feb 18, 2018 10:56 am 
My wife and I recently gave some big sections of birch to the local wood-turning club. One of the guys in the club started talking to me about the big leaf maples in my backyard. He said that big leaf maple has relatively weak wood in terms of compressive strength. The trees can grow very big, causing the weight of the tree to crush and crumple the grain at the base. I think this might be the cause of "quilting."

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PostSun Feb 18, 2018 11:48 am 
From observations in the aftermath of wind storms I've made a rule to never hunker down near Big Leaf Maples -- they are prone to drop big branches. Maybe another effect of relatively weak wood.

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PostSun Feb 18, 2018 12:35 pm 
treeswarper wrote:
Maybe it will not be in such demand. I heard a segment on NPR about how white guitars are all the rage now
I suspect this one won't have a lot of legs. https://www.scpr.org/news/2018/02/16/80860/a-town-in-mexico-sees-guitar-sales-soar-thanks-to/

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Forum Index > Public Lands Stewardship > Two men sentenced for theft of “music wood” timber in ONP 02/16/18
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