AUGUSTA, MAINE - Forest Rangers from the Department of Conservation, Maine Forest Service will be actively patrolling Maine's woods for people stealing evergreen boughs.

Being a multi-million dollar industry in Maine centered mostly in Hancock and Washington Counties, many Maine residents take to the woods in the first part of November and cut evergreen boughs in order to bolster their incomes. Forest Rangers respond to complaints of theft of evergreen and actively patrol the forests statewide to find people who are illegally harvest tips.

Maine has a long tradition as being a state which supplies a large number of wreaths during the Christmas holiday season. This business sector serves many Mainers as either a portion of a seasonal income, or as a way to bolster income in advance of the holiday season. Maine law states that any person who harvests evergreen boughs shall have written landowner permission and that this paperwork shall be with the person when transporting the brush to market.

Maine's Forest Rangers take the enforcement of evergreen bough theft very seriously, since so many people depend on it for their income in this area of the state. According to State Forest Protection Supervisor Bill Williams, Rangers find lots of different people harvesting tips this time of year. "Rangers find landowners cutting tips on their own property, people trying to get money for Christmas and others who count on tipping as part of their seasonal income. Our goal is to protect landowners and to protect honest tippers," Williams said. The Forest Service will often encounter other violations while enforcing evergreen theft laws as well. Forest Rangers look to see if the trees themselves have been cut down. They also uncover litter violations, criminal trespass on posted land and all terrain vehicle violations while on patrol.

The season for evergreen boughs generally lasts from the beginning of November to the second week in December, as wreath makers work to fill last minute orders. On average, the Forest Service receives around 50 complaints of evergreen bough theft in this period, with Forest Rangers finding dozens of other violations on their own. If charged with theft of evergreen, an illegal tipper would be issued a summons to district court. The charge, unlawful cutting of evergreen boughs, is a Class E crime, with fines ranging from $200 to $500 dollars. Repeat offenders have been subject to jail time as well. Also, Forest Rangers finding people stealing tips will confiscate those boughs as evidence. These seizures can range from small amounts to several thousand pounds of evergreen.

When a Ranger seizes what they believe to be stolen evergreen, confiscated boughs are taken to local wreath companies and sold to them. Rather than collecting money, Rangers get a slip denoting the weight and the value of the tips, then hold the slip until the conclusion of the court proceedings. If the person is found guilty, the slip is given to the landowner. If the person is acquitted they get the slip which can be redeemed by either for cash. This system allows for a utilization of the resource while it also establishes a value for their complaint investigation. Rangers also will assist tippers with other aspects of legal tipping. Rangers will often be asked questions on ownership locations, with legal tippers wanting to make sure that they are on the correct property. Rangers have also helped several wreath makers with information on transporting wreaths to other states and what regulations might apply.

Though the harvest of evergreen boughs is primarily a Downeast business, there are wreath makers in other parts of the state. Other Forest Service Districts also receive complaints of evergreen bough theft, but since it is a more traditional part of the Downeast economy, Forest Rangers generally see more activity in this area. As Maine's 57 Forest Rangers enforce the rest of Maine’s timber harvesting regulations, deal with wildfires and respond to other emergencies, evergreen bough enforcement takes up a significant amount of the Rangers' time.

Anyone with information on theft of evergreen boughs should call the Maine Forest Service at 1-800-750-9777.