Consequence of the energy crisis: More wood theft in German forests

More wood is being stolen from German forests. The reason for this is the high energy prices and the shortage of firewood. Forestry departments are reacting with more controls, and forest owners are reporting increasingly brazen theft.

“You come with a small trailer,” says Adalbert Koch from the Münster Regional Forestry Office. “You come with a chainsaw and cut the trunk small and load it up and you’re gone.” Such actions last around twenty minutes, says Koch. And they are becoming more and more common. In the regional forest office in Münster, reports of wood theft in the forest are increasing. Many are probably not aware of it, but it is illegal. The wood belongs to the forest owners. Anyone simply charging here is liable to prosecution. “We have around 85 percent private forest here in our forestry office,” says Koch. “So it’s not the Bürgerwald where you might think the wood is also my wood. That’s definitely theft.”

Entire truckloads removed

“Individual professional wood thieves who have stolen entire truckloads in the forest have also been reported,” says the North Rhine-Westphalia state forest and wood company. However, the scarce supply should not tempt people to help themselves in the forest. Theft of wood is not a trivial offence, says Gero Hütte-von Essen, head of the department at Wald und Holz NRW: “Unauthorized theft of wood from the forest or felling of trees, whose wood is then taken away, is legally seen as theft and therefore a criminal offence be punished with high fines and in special cases even with imprisonment.”

For this reason, Wald und Holz NRW uses GPS tracker technology on a random basis. The authorities hope that if used correctly, wood thieves can be caught red-handed. If the log is moved, the transmitter triggers an alarm in the owner, and the route taken by the thief can be followed precisely.

Bad for the environment and the forest

Foresters also reported of people who innocently collected dry wood lying on the ground and took it with them to use as firewood, says Nicole Fiedler from Wald und Holz NRW. “These are local accumulations that people simply go into the forest and collect wood from the forest floor to take it with them by bike or car trailer.” Here, too, people are probably not aware that they are committing a crime.

In addition, they damage the forest. The wood lying around is important for the preservation of the ecosystem. On the one hand, this dead wood is food and habitat for various microorganisms. It still stores CO2 and moisture. As it decomposes, important nutrients essential for plant growth are returned to the forest floor. If a forest is a nature reserve, it is generally forbidden to leave the paths to protect animals and plants.

Firewood renaissance

Due to the recently rising prices in the energy sector, firewood and its use have experienced a renaissance. That’s why wood is currently expensive and in demand. Many dealers only supply their regular customers, prices continue to rise. While the fixed meter was 60 to 70 euros last year, some offers are now up to 200 euros.

The forest owner association AGDW in Berlin speaks of damage in the millions by wood thieves. In some cases, however, collecting firewood is permitted. This can be found in the state forest laws of the respective federal states. For example, it may be allowed to collect firewood in certain sections of the forest. You may also be allowed to take a certain maximum amount of firewood with you. In some municipalities it is permitted to saw firewood yourself from specially felled tree trunks. For this, however, you need a self-acquisition license, which you can get from the responsible forestry office.