Society

Rooting out the tree thieves to save forests

By Liu Zhihua (China Daily)
Updated: 2011-01-04 07:44

Connection fears

Li Hulin, who has worked as a forest ranger in Taipingqiao village since 2005, relies heavily on the government for help.

"If the crooks are first offenders or local villagers, they might get scared and run away when (a ranger) approaches. Otherwise, there is little we can do apart from calling the authorities," he said.

Rangers report to the village Party secretary. However, the previous incumbent in Taipingqiao, Fu Dehua, was dismissed in mid-2010 after being convicted at a disciplinary hearing of embezzlement and taking bribes. A permanent replacement will not be elected until April 2011.

"Fu was corrupt. When he arrived (at the scene of a theft), he would order the rangers to leave and then take bribes from the thieves," said Li Hulin, who explained he was too afraid to go over his head and complain to county officials.

"The acting village Party secretary always says he is just a deputy and it's not his business to take care of the forest. Nothing has changed for the better," he added.

Geng Linwang, whose family has farmed in Tongbai's Dalishu village for more than five generations, leased 1.23 million square meters of woodland in 1982 and had hoped to make a tidy profit when the trees were large enough to be legally cut down and sold for lumber. That dream has slowly disappeared with his trees.

He estimates that, since 2006, thieves have stolen trees from his land worth a total of 300,000 yuan (incidentally, this is roughly the same amount it would take to buy the most expensive tree at Xinke Nursery).

"We are powerless," complained Geng, who calls the county forestry authorities directly when he sees evidence of a theft in progress, such as freshly dug trees on the roadside. "It always takes (the police or other officials) at least 30 minutes to arrive and, nine out of 10 times, the thieves have already gone.

"The thieves are breaking the law but they aren't afraid," he added. "Their bosses have power. If not, they wouldn't be able to take the trees."

Du Quan, director of the county forestry bureau's police department, dismissed any suggestion that the crooks have connections with authorities and insisted his team has an 85-percent detection rate.

The authority prosecuted at least 50 people in 2009, although Du did admit his department lacks sufficient resources, with only 15 officers covering an area of 1,067 square kilometers.

Yan Kejie, director of Tongbai forestry bureau, did not answer calls by China Daily to either of his two cell phones last week. During an interview on Dec 9, however, he said his department was drafting strict regulations and plans to increase subsidies offered to forest rangers to improve their performance.

A State Forestry Administration publicity official, who gave her name only as Wang, revealed that the nation's laws were being amended but refused to elaborate. Enforcement, she said, is "reliant on the local bureaus". 

Branching out

As most of the thieves are actually farmers looking to make extra cash, Li Peng at the Huaihe Rangers feels the problem also stems from a lack of education.  

"Villagers know little about the environmental value or market value of large trees," he said. "Some of them sell big trees growing around their homes at a low price, while others simply work for whoever pays them to move trees. It's a shame."

To move a tree with a diameter of 30 to 50 centimeters requires at least 10 men working for one day. This costs traders about 2,000 yuan, yet the resale value is usually triple that amount.

Yu Fei said his nursery makes an average profit of 30 percent on large trees.

"The huge profits are the main driving force of this widespread problem," said Dong Yunlan, a retired researcher with the Henan Institute of Forestry Science. "From villagers to businessmen a profit chain has formed."

Another tree dealer said most buyers of large and rare trees are property companies looking to decorate new developments or city governments that use them to boost their "green" image.

Old Tree Park, which covers 400,000 square meters in Zhengzhou, capital of Henan, was built on barren farmland in 2005. It contains 880 trees, including three that are said to be more than 1,000 years old.

"Stealing trees not only violates the law but is also a crime against the trees and the environment," said Jiang Gaoming, a professor and senior researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences' institute of botany.

Despite the use of chemical supplements by maintenance crews at the parks and residential complexes where large trees are replanted, the damage caused by thieves to the roots when digging them up often results in 50 to 70 percent of the trees dying.

"The ultimate solution is to stop the demand among buyers at the end of the chain," said Jiang. "There is no excuse for moving large trees into cities from their natural habitat in the mountains.

"The law should punish whoever buys and uses these trees as decoration."

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