Three men were fined over $6,000 for illegally harvesting, selling, and transporting wood from the Saskatchewan provincial forest for personal use.
According to a Saskatchewan government news report, a conservation officer traveling along Highway 916, north of the Prince Albert National Park, pulled over a truck full of timber. The officer discovered that the driver, Reginald Cook, was en route to a client but "did not have the required shipping and receiving reports," according to CKOM.
Further investigation revealed that Terry Thoms, the client receiving the birch timber, also had not received a permit to harvest the wood, which came from the Prince Albert National Park.
When the officer arrived at the source of the harvest, he arrested Jose Madariaga for aiding in the illegal harvest and transport of the trees.
In April, the Prince Albert Provincial Court found the three men guilty of processing and distributing wood from the protected forest. Thoms and Madariaga were each fined around $3,000.
"The dues and fees paid ensure that the people of the province receive a fair return from those who use public resources and that funds are available to renew the forest," read the Saskatchewan news release.
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In addition to these fines, the court mandated that the processed timber be delivered to the Great Blue Heron National Park for use as firewood for visitors.
Without the appropriate permits and permission to clear protected forest lands granted, illegal logging can cause extensive harm to native habitats. This habitat loss could lead to biodiversity loss, intensifying the stress on wildlife that are already under strain from rising global temperatures and poaching.
In the past two decades, deforestation has also indirectly resulted in the death of more than 500,000 people globally, particularly in tropical regions of the world. With less greenery to absorb carbon, deforestation contributes to rising global temperatures, alters rainfall patterns, and increases wildfire risk.
Although deforestation trends threaten the health of ecosystems and human populations globally, researchers and conservation organizations are actively pushing back to limit deforestation and its impact.
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