Scavengers have been fleecing Detroit homes for a great portion of the 2000s, but police said it will no longer be tolerated. The trade in stolen architectural salvage is facing a major crackdown.
Source: Thieves rip off front of historic home in Detroit’s…

Wood planking was stripped from the wall of a 75-year-old barn alongside the Island Highway in Qualicum Bay by a trespasser earlier this month.— Image Credit: J.R. RARDON PHOTO
The barn apparently fell victim to a hot building trend, in which weathered and distressed wood from salvage buildings is used to build furniture, wall paneling and trendy bars and restaurants. “I get people here looking for it all the time,” said Bernie Muller of Demxx Deconstruction in Coombs. “You’ll have guys in Vancouver who pay $7 a square foot for those slabs. It’s probably more valuable than drugs.”
Source: Theft of wood from barn in Qualicum Bay: Nailed down but not safe – Parksville Qualicum News
Reclamation Administration: News and Research on Building Material Waste Prevention