Tougher penalties: Finn’s Christmas tree legislation
wins approval from House committee

Bipartisan measure would help protect landowners’ interests

February 2, 2009

OLYMPIA – Christmas tree farmers have a great deal of work and money invested in their property, according to state Rep. Fred Finn, “and the theft and destruction of their inventory is every bit as devastating to them as these types of crimes are to any other businessperson.”

This past Friday (Jan. 30), Finn, D-rural Thurston County, won unanimous approval in the House Agriculture & Natural Resources Committee for his legislation (House Bill 1137) to help protect these landowners’ investments and property.

The measure toughens the punishment that awaits anyone who cuts, breaks, or steals a Christmas tree from private property or public lands.

As it stands now in state law, an individual or the state can recover $1 for this damage or theft. Finn said a victim of this crime can recover triple damages on the basis of $3 per tree in a civil suit that is pursued to recover at least a relatively small portion of the financial losses.

“But for damage and theft to other timber, a plaintiff can recover triple the value of the trees or timber cut,” he said.
“It isn’t right that existing state law doesn’t provide the same level of deterrence and punishment for this criminal harm done to Christmas tree farmers.”

Finn’s bill removes the existing provision in state law that limits to no more than $3 a tree what a victim of Christmas tree theft or other damages can recover. Instead, the perpetrators of a Christmas tree crime would face the same penalties that currently apply to crimes committed against timber on private or public land.

Here is a link to House Bill 1137.