NEAR OLYMPIA -- Pieces of priceless Northwest trees are decking the halls of homes all around the world this time of year -- illegally.
Officer Jason Bodine investigates theft almost every day this time of year. The victims are all around him.
The Department of Natural Resources Enforcement Officer can go almost anywhere in the massive Capitol Forest near Olympia and find one.
Trees stripped of their boughs from top to bottom, ferns and other plants ripped from the ground, majestic Douglas firs laying on the ground.
"This is a huge business," explained Bodine, "Thousands and thousands of pounds of these boughs end up on docks every day and are shipped all over the world."
The boughs are part of a high demand holiday bounty in Northwest forests. The holiday decoration industry demands huge amounts for wreaths, table settings, and other festive products. They fill homes with fresh smells and holiday spirit but they often leave trees in our public forests resembling lifeless poles that will slowly die.
Thieves also cut down massive trees filled with thousands of dollars of valuable timber and chop them up for a few hundred dollars in firewood.
It's the waste that bothers Bodine the most. He's made several arrests so far this season and said making more will bring some cheer to his holiday season.
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