... this book by British Columbia–based ecology writer Bourgon delves into the complexities of the illegal timber market in an evenhanded manner. Focusing primarily on forestry in the Pacific Northwest, the author explains how timber poaching—although difficult to prosecute—is an offense with significant long-term ramifications to the global economy and the well-being of all living creatures. At the same time, Bourgon’s interviews with poachers (and with police, former loggers, Indigenous communities, and international timber cartels) help readers to be sympathetic to the circumstances. The book is grounded in these interviews and research, but it also dips into narrative nonfiction that puts readers in the mindset of its subjects (e.g., the anxious moment of stumbling onto a recently abandoned poaching site). It might be hard to sell readers on the unsexy crime of stealing trees, but there’s much of interest in this book (high-tech efforts to catch poachers and identify stolen trees; the supply chain by which illegal timber from around the world finds its way into U.S. stores and homes).

Bourgon puts herself in the poacher’s shoes, and the result is a refreshing and compassionate warning about the perils of well-intentioned but overzealous environmentalism.

Bourgon, who’s written on the topic for National Geographic and Smithsonian, brings a nuanced understanding to an important, overlooked environmental issue..

Through extensive research, interviews, and diligent boots-on-the-ground reporting, Bourgon evenhandedly examines the many factors involved, including the effects of unemployment on timber communities, including substance abuse and increased crime rates; the ravages of timber poaching on the environment; and the challenges, fears, and dangers faced by law enforcement agencies attempting to capture and prosecute timber poachers. Bourgon also discusses timber poaching in other regions of the world, particularly the Amazon, noting the many similarities to the plight of the Pacific Northwest.

Poaching timber from public lands has a long history, which Bourgon outlines adeptly.

Bourgon explores the lucrative and complex crime of timber poaching in her fascinating debut.

Tree Thieves is a vividly written, fine piece of investigative reporting. But does Bourgon end up admiring her subjects a little bit too much?.