Illegal loggers steal from us in many ways. Sometimes they are literally stealing our trees, but it goes way beyond that. Illegal logging is rarely done according to good procedures that protect the environment and preserve the forest for future generations. The public views the scenes of destruction left by illegal loggers and jumps to the conclusion that this is how logging is done. That means that illegal loggers also steal the reputations of honest loggers and landowners who are good stewards oftheir land and often have been for many generations. Addressing the problem of illegal logging, however, is not as simple as enacting stronger laws and harsher penalties. In fact, worldwide it is often the theoretically strong laws that are the problem.While in Virginia there are no cases of widespread deforestation caused by illegal logging, we still have timber theft. Here, the scope of illegal logging, the levels and ways it is done, is more akin to ordinary crime like burglary or grand theft auto.This is not the case everywhere. In some countries illegal timber harvest can reach as high as 60-70 percent of the total. What accounts for the difference?
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