The opioid epidemic may be to blame for a rising incidence of illegal tree-felling.
A small group of people goes into the woods with a chain saw. That's how it begins. It ends with the death of a tree—felled, illegally, by poachers.
The United States Forest Service estimates that as many as one in 10 trees cut in the national forests is poached. In a new animated video, the Atlantic contributing writer Lyndsie Bourgon reveals the surprising reason tree-poaching is on the rise.
For more, read Bourgon’s Atlantic article, “The Opioid Crisis Is Killing Trees Too.”
Life Up Close is a project of The Atlantic, supported by the HHMI Department of Science Education.
