Authorities say man chain-sawed 30 fir trees to bring more light to plants
Last Modified: Tuesday, June 3, 2008 at 8:28 a.m.
A Willits-area man could face criminal charges for allegedly destroying 37 fir trees, some more than 100 years old and on public property, to provide more light for a medicinal marijuana garden.
"It looked like a bomb went off in the forest," said Mike Chapman, manager of the Brooktrails Community Services District, which oversees the forested Brooktrails subdivision adjacent to and just north of Willits.
Mendocino County District Attorney Meredith Lintott's office has asked for further investigation, but Lintott said Monday she recommends charges be filed against Peter Evan Godt, 32, for the damage.
Godt could not be reached for comment Monday.
Sheriff's officials said authorities called to Brooktrails in April found Godt using a chain saw to cut down the trees.
Godt, who holds a prescription for the medical marijuana he grows, said he was thinning the forest so a pot garden could get more sunlight, said Lt. Rusty Noe.
"It's a perfect case of entitlement," Noe said, noting that most of the trees were not on Godt's property.
Noe said that sense of entitlement has led to a backlash against marijuana growers in the county and to Measure B, an initiative on today's ballot seeking to limit the amount of marijuana individuals are allowed to grow.
About 15 of the downed trees were on Brooktrails' 2,600-acre public greenbelt, Chapman said. Ten were on a neighbor's land, and the remainder are believed to have been on Godt's property, he said.
Godt's fenced garden area also was in the public greenbelt, Chapman said.
Officials say Godt cut down about 30 trees, and those trees knocked down seven others as they fell.
Foresters continue to evaluate the extent of the damage, Chapman said.
Brooktrails board members and residents are outraged, he said.
"It's pretty blatant. This is the worst case of public vandalism I've ever seen," Chapman said.
Brooktrails is classified as a park, and none of its 4,000 residents is allowed to cut any tree over 6 inches in diameter without permission, he said.
The board does not allow large trees to be cut, Chapman said.
"We're trying to preserve our park," he said.
Chapman also said the downed trees, scheduled to be removed next week, pose a fire threat.
Godt told authorities he planned to burn the trees he'd cut, Noe said.
You can reach Staff Writer Glenda Anderson at 462-6473
or glenda.anderson@
pressdemocrat.com.
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