*Shortlisted for the Lukas Prize Project*

The tree was poached in a two-part operation. It was felled one night and taken another.

Here was a murder mystery in the deep woods: who had taken the cedar, how had they done so, and - most importantly - why?
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A gripping account of the billion-dollar timber black market -- and how it intersects with environmentalism, class, and culture.

In Tree Thieves, Lyndsie Bourgon takes us deep into the underbelly of the illegal timber marketAs she traces three timber poaching cases, she introduces us to tree poachers, law enforcement, forensic wood specialists, the enigmatic residents of former logging communities, environmental activists, international timber cartels, and indigenous communities along the way.

Old-growth trees are invaluable and irreplaceable for both humans and wildlife, and are the oldest living things on earthBut the morality of tree poaching is not as simple as we might think: stealing trees is a form of deeply rooted protest, and a side effect of environmental preservation and protection that doesn''t include communities that have been uprooted or marginalized when park boundaries are drawn.

As Bourgon discovers, failing to include working class and rural communities in the preservation of these awe-inducing ecosystems can lead to catastrophic results.

Featuring excellent investigative reporting, fascinating characters, logging history, political analysis, and cutting-edge tree science, Tree Thieves takes readers on a thrilling journey into the intrigue, crime, and incredible complexity sheltered under the forest canopy.
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''Bourgon brilliantly shows that while following the scientific theory seems simple from a concrete jungle, for those educated under the shade of the trees it is obscure, often weaponizedHer unique insight in this book is that between the law and the science lies the chainsaw''s edge.'' -- London Review of Books

Format Inbunden Omfång 288 sidor Språk Engelska Förlag Hodder & Stoughton Utgivningsdatum 2022-07-07 ISBN 9781529331097