Black spruce is a North American pine species. It is widespread across Canada and the northern United States, including the Great Lakes region.

The popularity of black spruce tops and other forest products that are used in the seasonal holiday decorative market has surged over the last 20 years. The spruce tops are sold at landscape retailers and some grocery and home improvement stores nationwide.

The cutting or otherwise damaging any timber, tree or other forest product, to include black spruce is prohibited on National Forest land except as authorized by a special use authorization, timber sale, contract or other federal law or regulation.

The Grand Rapids man sold the tops for $1.50 to $2.50 each to various wholesale vendors, who in turn would sell each top for up to $6 each to various retail outlets in Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois. He stole at least $24,199.50 worth of spruce tops from federal land.

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