Energy prices are rising, not only heating oil, natural gas and petrol are becoming more expensive, but also firewood. Now, firewood thefts are becoming more frequent in state forest enterprises. Several state-managed forest enterprises have registered an increase in wood thefts in recent months. The wood thieves are even taking whole logs out of the forests with trucks. The district foresters increasingly assume that the thefts are professionally planned.
Both state forests and timber traders affected by firewood theft
According to Michael Gerst, head of the Hessenforst state forestry office, the thefts are causing great damage to both the state forests and the timber traders. This is because most of the felled timber has already been paid for. According to Gerst, it is not possible to put a figure on how much the damage is. The state forest bears the risk for the costs only as long as loggers work on the logs in the forest. As soon as the logs are ready for collection, the buyer bears the risk. In the case of firewood thefts, therefore, it is usually the buyers who would be affected by the corresponding loss. Catching the thieves, however, is actually only possible if they are caught in the act. Even if the stolen goods can be recovered, it is rarely possible to prove the theft.
From the Fichtelgebirge to the Spessart all forests affected
According to Marie-Luise Appelhans from the headquarters of the Bavarian State Forests, the timber thefts are not isolated incidents. In the last three months alone, timber thieves have stolen a good 1,000 cubic metres of timber in Bavaria. Ultimately, all federal states are affected by the timber thefts. From the Fichtelgebirge to the Spessart, no forest is spared. “But these thefts will probably continue to increase, especially with the rising energy prices,” says Heiko Stölzner, head of the Bad Königshofen forestry operation. The forests that are close to the motorway are particularly at risk.
GPS trackers to help catch thieves
The foresters are now using so-called GPS trackers. The transmitters are hammered into the tree trunks. The transmitters sound the alarm when the wood moves. However, the foresters do not have much time then, because the perpetrators can only be caught if they are caught in the act.
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