Deputies: Two men caught with 3,800 lbs. of fir boughs unlawfully taken from Willamette National Forest
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MARION COUNTY, OR (KPTV) — The Marion County Sheriff’s Office seized 3,800 pounds of fir boughs that were unlawfully taken from the Willamette National Forest.
The sheriff’s office said Forest Patrol Deputies stopped two men on Nov. 12 in a vehicle which was carrying the fir boughs on Highway 22 near Stayton.
During the traffic stop, the deputies learned the fir boughs were unlawfully taken and were going to be used commercially for creating holiday decorations.
The men, identified as Jose Lucas Lucas, 42, and Juan Lucas Perez, 31, both from Washington County, were charged with unlawful cutting and transport of special forest products.
The sheriff’s office said the illegal harvest and sale of Special Forest Products in the state is a continuing concern.
Christmas trees and boughs, cones, bear grass, salal and firewood are a few examples of Special Forest Products.
Thefts of these products are not just limited to U.S. Forest Service land, according to the sheriff’s office, but also directly impact lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management, Oregon Department of Forestry and private timber lands.
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