Meg Jones

Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Brazen thieves armed with axes and chainsaws are plundering parks, forests and private land in Wisconsin's Northwoods.

Their prey? White birch trees.

Thousands of trees have disappeared since fall, stripped branches and stumps left behind at crime scenes as the beautiful trees are sold to decorate homes and businesses and grace wedding tables.

"It appears to be all market driven," said Warden David Zebro of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. "The ornamental market people are paying a lot of money for these types of birch trees. We didn't see this type of issue a year or two ago, but it's certainly here now."

Some birch poachers have been nabbed. Five arrests were made in Washburn County over the winter, including a man who admitted to authorities that he was in the area to illegally cut down birch trees but decided instead to break into a cabin and steal a generator.

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"We found out these people are not discriminate. They'll steal anything," said Mike Richter, the Washburn County sheriff's chief deputy. "We've had people say, 'We didn't know there was anything wrong with it.' Some said, 'We're just logging. What's the problem?' Well, they don't own the property. That's the problem."

Noting that Washburn County, as well as other rural counties in northwest Wisconsin, are populated with many summer cabins, it's likely more thefts of birch will be reported when owners open their cottages for the season. Many of the birch thefts are happening in county parks and forests as well as state and federal forest land.

It's become such a problem that state officials have organized a meeting Thursday in Spooner, Wis., for law enforcement agencies, county foresters and others.

Most of the stolen trees were 2- to 6 inches in diameter, relatively easy to cut down and throw in the back of a pickup truck or van and speed away. And unlike a stolen laptop, they have no serial numbers, so authorities have no way to prove a pile of bundled birch trees is stolen goods.

Property owners or people who have permits can legally harvest trees. But no one is giving permission to take these white birch, and they're leaving behind clear cut areas where hundreds of trees once stood straight and tall.

Three areas in Ashland County forest have been cut down, including one area where 168 birch trees were cut and another where about 300 trees were nabbed.

"Those are the ones that were reported. We might get more once foresters get out and make closer examinations," Ashland County Sheriff Mick Brennan said.

In one sense birch is the new black. It's very trendy now.

Birch poles are stuck in pots for decoration in malls and hotels, especially around Christmas. Many stores use birch in window displays, home interior designers incorporate birch in their rustic designs and brides and wedding planners use birch for floral displays and trellises.

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"I think a lot of people these days are more natural and environmentally friendly, and they like using natural products," said President Sandra Bartelt of Dodgeville, Wis.-based Walnut Hollow, the leading woodcraft manufacturer for the U.S. craft and hobby industry.

Walnut Hollow works with carefully vetted suppliers of wood products and sells to large stores like Hobby Lobby, Michael's and Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores.

On Amazon, a set of five tealight holders made from birch poles costs $29.99; a bunch of eight birch logs 16- to 20-inches long sells for $27.99 and four 4-foot-long birch poles retail for $45.99.

Winter Woods in Glidden, Wis., sells raw and custom packaged birch products to craft stores, floral design businesses and other retailers. Birch is big now, said Manager Ed Schmocker, who has noticed birch poles and other birch products on the sets of recent TV shows and movies.

"It's a smooth bark. It looks clean and it doesn't look like dirt being brought into your house," said Schmocker, whose company buys birch from harvesters in his area. "It's been a problem as far as people taking things they shouldn't. We tell them if they transport the birch they either need a permit or a letter from the landowner."

While birch thieves can get hundreds of dollars for the stolen trees, their actions come with environmental costs.

Birch trees are home to a variety of species.

Brown creepers love to build nests in birch bark crevices. When birch trees fall over, salamanders like to hide underneath because the bark creates a micro-climate for them, said Colleen Matula, a state forest ecologist based in Ashland, Wis. Many animals, from rodents to birds, use the bark as nesting material, and sometimes deer and elk browse on them when nothing else is available to eat.

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Birch trees like to grow in sandier soils and are a fire-oriented species, usually among the first flora to rise up from clear cut and burned areas because of their light, tiny seeds. They're a fast-growing tree that typically only lives to 40 to 60 years.

The range of birch trees is roughly the top third of Wisconsin.

"There's such a demand right now. It's been overnight," said Matula, who will give a presentation on Wisconsin's birch trees at Thursday's meeting. "Now the rush is on to harvest as much as you can before it leafs out and the sap flows."

Follow Meg Jones on Twitter: @MegJonesJS