( CNN ) -- Tree poaching conjures up the lawless Amazon jungle , but America 's magnificent redwood forests now face a piecemeal but steady assault by poachers too , California officials say . Thieves are cutting massive chunks from the base of the champion trees , which are the tallest on Earth and are up to 2,000 years old . While state officials say the damage is far from any Amazonian deforestation , they do rank the desecration alongside elephant tusk poaching . Under the cloak of darkness , bandits are poaching the burl from the old-growth redwoods in Redwood National and State Parks in California , and that lumpy feature from the tree base is then sold for thousands of dollars to make furniture , bowls and even souvenirs , officials say . `` We 've seen a peaked increase ( of theft and damage ) , '' says Candace Tinkler , chief of interpretation and education at the park . `` Unfortunately I feel that it 's more than we can keep track of . '' Tinkler compares the theft to elephants being killed for their ivory tusks . She has been with the parks for three years and has noticed a spike in thefts during her tenure , she said . `` The distribution goes beyond what we could have imagined . There 's a black market for this stuff , and it goes well beyond California borders , '' she said Tuesday . What makes the poaching so distressing is that the burls are crucial to the survival of the redwoods , whose towering forests block out the sun and draw tourists worldwide . When a burl cutting occurs , a lot of the bark is damaged or removed , and that bark is critical to protecting the redwoods from insect infestation and fire because the material is flame-resistant , Tinkler said . `` When you take away the burl and leave an open scar , it 's similar to me having a major cut on my leg and I left it exposed , '' Tinkler explained . `` Now I 'm exposed to other infections . '' To combat the poachers , officials at Redwood National and State Parks in northern California have closed an eight-mile drive through the forests at night . The California Department of Parks and Recreation said smaller pieces of poached burl can sell for hundreds of dollars , and the larger chunks can fetch thousands . Taking the burls from a state park is a crime , and their size determines whether the crime is a misdemeanor or felony , the Humboldt County district attorney 's office said . The burls provide unique and beautiful patterns for coffee tables and bar counter tops , and smaller pieces can be used for knife handles . But such a defacement of a forest distresses rangers . Redwoods are on many 'bucket lists ' The Redwood National and State Parks comprises 133,000 acres of forest , coastlines , prairies , rivers and streams . Approximately 40,000 acres are old-growth forest and are a big draw for international visitors who consider a drive through the park a once-in-a-lifetime experience . Ranger Mike Poole , who works in the public information office at the park , receives numerous calls every week asking about the redwoods , located along the California coast north of San Francisco . `` One of the things I hear a lot is 'seeing the redwoods is on my bucket list , ' '' Poole said . That 's why protecting and preserving these behemoth beauties is a mission that rangers take very seriously at the park , which the United Nations labels a World Heritage site . `` We 're one of those places that we have around the world that everyone thinks is precious enough , important enough , rare enough , that we need to protect it for the future , '' Tinkler said . `` It 's not just a crime against us as Americans ... it 's a crime to everyone . '' CNN 's Michael Martinez and Paul Gunther contributed to this report .
In 2008 , poachers cut the burl from the base of trees in California . The lumpy wood is sold for thousands of dollars to make furniture . Officials close a path through the redwood forest at night to protect Earth 's tallest trees . One official compares the burl harvesting to killing elephants for their ivory .