In researching for her book, the 2018 National Geographic Explorer — individuals whose work is supported by the— spoke to poachers themselves, as well as law enforcement, residents of former logging towns, and others to get a broader understanding of why people enter the illegal market.
She found that the problem is more systemic than she realized, with poverty in a number of former logging communities in the Pacific Northwest being a factor for some. "As I began researching the book and doing interviews in some of the towns where poaching is really common, a lot of people started telling me about how there's not a lot of work in the towns," she said.
"There are a lot of people that are from these areas and don't want to move and they feel very comfortable working in logging, and tree poaching is one way of keeping that work going," she said.