(Image from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources)
DNR wardens went online to track down a couple of local burl thieves.
Burls are knotty growths on trees, and they’re used in woodworking and interior decorating. Last year, a Waupaca County landowner noticed a number of them had been cut off trees.
Warden Kaitlin Kernosky says they found some for sale on the Internet, and the seller lived near the property. She says they worked undercover and went to the woodshop, to possibly by pieces. She says there was a unique, large burl that matched one that was cut from a tree.
A raid on the woodshop turned up more than 50 burls. A suspect reached a plea deal, and had to pay fines and compensate the landowner.
