The Bizarre Theft Issue That's Plaguing California's Redwood National And State Parks

One wouldn't think that theft would be a problem in a forest or state park, and yet, that's exactly what's happening in Redwood National and State Parks. Thieves have been targeting the Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park, located near the northern California town of Hiouchi, just south of the Oregon border, for its unique memorial plaques, donor markers, and bronze sculptures along the award-winning Grove of Titans trail. These mysterious thefts, first noticed in January 2025, include bronze statues of coho salmon, Humboldt martens, and banana slugs that helped to tell the story of the forest, along with objects linked to Tolowa heritage, including a dugout canoe. 

The Redwood National and State Parks shelter nearly half of the remaining old-growth coast redwoods. The Mill Creek Trail leads to the famous Grove of Titans, where some of the world's tallest redwood trees were rediscovered in the late 1990s. The grove became so popular that a major conservation project was put in place to protect the land from the many tourists who had inadvertently begun destroying the ecosystem. In 2019, along with Save the Redwoods League and the Redwoods Park Conservancy, the California State Parks and National Park System began work on a 1,500-foot elevated walkway to protect the forest floor. They also built an interactive trail featuring these unique, tactile sculptures and maps celebrating the forest's long-secret history and ecology. The sculptures are intended for visitors with impaired vision to learn about the forest through touch. The project earned national recognition in 2024 for the innovative displays. And now in 2025, many of these irreplaceable pieces have disappeared from the places meant to protect them. 

Sadly, this is not the first time these magnificent trees have been a target for criminals. Redwood poaching and burl theft have been going on in the Redwood National and State Parks' 139,000 acres for years, particularly in the northern area. The burl is the knobbly growth often found at the base of a redwood tree. When polished, it reveals a beautiful, swirly pattern often used in fine woodworking. Poachers cut off the burl, sometimes even felling the entire tree. Because old-growth redwoods grow slowly and rarely regenerate, damaging or removing the burl can harm or kill the tree. Taking souvenirs from national parks is a common and harmful mistake tourists make when visiting national parks.

Protecting this enchanting west coast forest is difficult because of the sheer size and remoteness of the park. Other crimes there include tree climbing, and there's even a shadow market organizing illegal climbs up these protected giants. People arrive from around the world and attempt to scale the 2,000-year-old trees, causing irreversible damage to the fragile canopy ecosystems that shelter endangered species. 

While park officials intend to replace the stolen items with less valuable models to keep the interpretive experience alive, the trees and the recently stolen statues are sacred to the Tolowa people, and their loss is felt deeply. Park officials say the investigation is ongoing and urge anyone with any information about the thefts to contact Ranger Greg McKisson at (707) 498-4362, or leave anonymous tips at (707) 465-7353.