Posted on 11/11/2021 3:17:46 PM PST by DUMBGRUNT
A case in Washington State represents the first use of DNA evidence from trees during a prosecution in a federal criminal trial.
The group removed highly-prized Maple trees - used to produce musical instruments such as violins and guitars - and forged permits to sell the wood, according to a statement from the U.S. attorney's office Western District of Washington.
Forest Service testified that the wood Wilke sold was a genetic match to the remains of three poached maple trees that investigators had discovered in the Elk Lake area.
The DNA analysis was so precise that it found the probability of the match being coincidental was approximately one in one undecillion (1 followed by 36 zeros), the statement added.
In 2018 Wilke and two others decided to cut a bigleaf maple at night that contained a wasp's nest near the base of the tree. To remove the nest, they sprayed insecticide and likely gasoline before lighting it on fire. The group failed to extinguish the fire, which developed into a wildfire and became known as the Maple Fire.
It consumed more than 3,300 acres between August and November 2018 and cost approximately $4.2 million to contain, the court said.
(Excerpt) Read more at greenwichtime.com ...
That, and it ain't easy being green.
Ride my bike through miles of county forest preserve trails. Noticed a few large black walnut trees cut about thirty feet in from a private parking lot??? Then the trees were gone and the branches remained???
A friend with a large black walnut tree called a sawmill. everything sounded good $$$ until he mentioned he could see from his house. They said a bad idea because nails from clotheslines can kill a blade.
But did they get the wasps?
Seen on Forensic Files - Planted Evidence Season 01, Episode 05
—”But did they get the wasps?”
Nobody of any great importance cares much about white anglo Saxon protestants...
They already went out on a limb to try this and knew the defendant’s lawyer would bark but they were stumped about how to get him otherwise. I’ll leave.
Is walking difficult for you with the big feet?
I have heard they are called long fellows?
I don’t get it. I’ll assume it was probably an insult and accept it. I probably deserved it.
You earlier made an allusion to this other kind of “feat” in another post.
’ Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot, but he’ll remember, with advantages, what feats he did that day. Then shall our names, familiar in his mouth as household words- Harry the King Salisbury and Exeter, Erpingham, Westmoreland, and York- be in their flowing cups freshly remember’d.
—— “Henry V Agincourt Speech”
//////////
And on this Veteran’s Day, thank you for your service to our country. Have seen your Vietnam references earlier.
—” “Henry V Agincourt Speech””
OH CRAP!
That just reminded me... I forgot St Crispin’s Day this year!!!
Years ago I read a bit of it to inspire my crew.
“The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God’s will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.”
As usual, we were running short-handed.
I was going to point that out too. It was the first think I thought about was that episode(Although I did not know which one). And that was many years ago. Of course this publication gets it wrong.
Yep….fascinating case.
.
Starting a wild fire is quite another.
So a forest fire burnt for three months, within an area of five square miles, while being fought with $4.2M dollars. I don’t buy it.
Haha... A fellow forensic file fan :) this was done in 1993.
https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg13818750-600-murder-trial-features-trees-genetic-fingerprint/
Reminds me of maybe 20 years ago I read an article about a US company selling Russian caviar. Fish and Wildlife were suspicious about it and did DNA tests that revealed it was Montana Paddlefish eggs.
—”Tree DNA was used in Arizona many years ago to convict a murderer.”
The tree is a counterfeit, so you must acquit!
???
—”$4.2M dollars. I don’t buy it.”
You are the taxpayer, you have no choice.
DUMBgrunt.
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