Overview
- Michael Veeck of the Forstamt Soonwald and Landesforsten Rheinland-Pfalz says trees are stolen every year and staff expect such incidents each season.
- Precise statistics are unavailable as many thefts go unnoticed, creating what officials describe as a large dark figure.
- Incidents occur on state-owned land and private plantations, with partial cutting of branches often rendering otherwise saleable trees worthless.
- Producers, including Martin Gutzweiler of the German Christmas Tree Growers Association, say multi-hectare plantings cannot be effectively monitored and theft is often only detected by a conspicuously high stump.
- Those caught face theft charges under the German Penal Code, which allows fines or prison terms of up to five years, and attempts are also punishable.