vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #159 / Crime watch / Reading article...

Timber theft has skyrocketed in Krasnoarmeisky County since police closed a post that used to check truck drivers’ permits to transport logs.

The post, near Verbovka, was canceled for not complying with standards. But within a day after the post was removed, about nine truckloads left the county.

Truckers hauled off an estimated 2,000 cubic meters of timber — which amounts to 10 percent of the county’s annual quota.

The most common kind of timber was highly valued ash tree. One cubic meter of ash wood can cost anywhere from $150 to $250.

To correct the situation, the county’s environment committee has asked a task force from Tiger — a group dedicated preserving tigers in the wilds — to patrol the roads. If this proves ineffective or if authorities don’t react, the environmental group Taiga plans to contact international ecological organizations by e-mail, spokespersons said.

It was Taiga that first pushed for the use of timber conveyance permits to stem thefts from the woods. The practice is used in other timber areas in Russia, and has proven effective.

The county’s environment committee asked police to explain why the post was shut. But police sent two papers that didn’t shed any light on reasons for the action. Copies of the official order to close the post were not available.