The poachers are after giant gnarled knots on the tree called burls where the interesting grain fetches more money. Concerned park rangers say the giant scars leaves the 1,000-year-old organism vulnerable to fire and disease. California has shut down long stretches of state park during the night, when the poachers tend to strike. The beautiful redwood burl wood can be sold to make anything from pricy furniture to souvenirs. The wood winds up in the homes of collectors worldwide.
Authorities say unemployment and drug addiction have spurred an increase in the destructive practice of cutting off the knobby growths at the base of ancient redwood trees to make decorative pieces like lacey-grained coffee tables and wall clocks.
The practice — known as burl poaching — has become so prevalent along the Northern California coast that Redwood National and State Parks now closes the popular Newton B. Drury Scenic Parkway at night in a desperate attempt to deter thieves.
Law enforcement Ranger Laura Denny said that poachers have been stalking the remote reaches of the park with their chain saws and ATVs for decades, but lately the size and frequency of thefts have been on the rise.
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