Pop’s Tree Shop owner fined $8,000

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This article was published 13/06/2023 (746 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man who cut down black spruce trees will have to pay a fine and has had his equipment confiscated.

Mark Jeremy Neufeld, 44, was fined $8,000 for illegally cutting down more than 167 black spruce trees on Crown land without a permit on Dec. 13, 2022.

Following a tip from the public, Conservation officers observed Neufeld carrying trees to his trailer on a plantation north of Marchand. The trees were part of a research project for forest renewal across Southern Manitoba.

Neufeld initially told officers he was cutting the trees for a friend before later confessing it was for him. Neufeld had a Christmas tree business in Steinbach at the time, Pop’s Tree Shop, selling trees for $40 to $50 each. His business was operating at a loss.

In a press release at the time, Manitoba Natural Resources describes the missing and damaged trees as “a significant loss that negatively impacts long-term sustainable forest management projects in Southern Manitoba.”

For his part, in a written statement to The Carillon, Neufeld wrote he was trying to offer locally grown trees to the customers of Pop’s Tree Shop. He noted he knew he was cutting trees on Crown land and didn’t think he’d get caught. He tried getting a permit, but none were available. He also tried to harvest on private property, but was unsuccessful.

Neufeld was charged under the Forest Act of Manitoba, where an individual faces a fine of up to $50,000 or up to six months in jail, or both.

Neufeld is a journeyman carpenter with three kids. He said he was remorseful for cutting down the trees, which were about six to nine metres tall. He had cut the tops off the trees and sold them as Christmas trees. He wrote he was grateful he didn’t go to prison. As to how he feels right now given the trial and the fine, Neufeld stated: “(I feel) a sense of relief, just that it’s over.”

As to why he wanted to speak to the media, Neufeld said he wanted to be accountable.

“I would like to say I am sorry. I care very deeply about the environment and will seek to make amends in whatever ways I can.”

During sentencing, Judge Lawrence Allen fined Neufeld $8,000 (for which he has two years to pay) and confiscated his chainsaw.

Allen wondered aloud whether there should be a jail sentence, but he only imposed a fine. He said the money Neufeld made would never cover the cost of paying the penalty and loss of his equipment.

The cut trees were donated by Conservation to a Ukrainian Church in Winnipeg for immigrants to enjoy their first holiday in Canada.