October 6, 2022, 3:45 am | Read time: 2 minutes

Using GPS technology and more controls, forest authorities and private forest owners are responding to the increasing wood theft in the forest. The sharply increased prices, a decline in supply, and fear of gas shortages are primarily causing the illegal procurement of firewood to rise.

Authorities Take Action Against Wood Theft

“The phenomenon of thefts intensifies, especially with scarce goods, and we see this in the forest as well,” says Sabine Schorr, spokesperson for the Saarland Ministry of the Environment. To prevent thefts, increased controls are being conducted. Additionally, authorities are asking witnesses for information and using transponders with GPS technology for monitoring.

So-called forest trackers immediately report when unauthorized persons tamper with the firewood. The small transmitters are discreetly attached within the piles. The signal can be tracked even abroad and over days and weeks.

Also of interest: Is it allowed to collect firewood in the forest?

Damages in the Millions

As the costs for firewood also rise—from 60 to 70 euros per cubic meter last year to up to 200 euros—some are attempting to obtain it illegally. The forest owners’ association AGDW in Berlin reports damages in the millions due to wood theft in the forest. However, there are apparently regional differences: “We have state associations like Bavaria, where there are no problems at all,” said association spokesperson Jürgen Gaulke.

In contrast to NRW and around Berlin. Recently, even professional perpetrators in Brandenburg have been using a harvester (full-tree harvester): They not only stole finished logs but also “clear-cut” the area.

According to estimates by the state forestry agency in Thuringia, about 1,200 cubic meters of wood have already been stolen from the state forest this year. In previous years, it was only a few hundred cubic meters.