High lumber prices lead to tree poaching in Canada and do-it-yourself sawmills in Alaska

Sky-high lumber prices during the pandemic have prompted creative responses — some of them illegal — among would-be builders. It may be happening in your area too.

The high prices have led some Alaskans to buy or build their own sawmills, Emily Schwing reports for Alaska Public Media. And on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, officials say at least 100 trees have been illegally cut down, Leyland Cecco reports for The Guardian in a story supported by the Society for Environmental Journalists.