A man from Rockbridge County, Virginia, has been sentenced to 30 days in jail after being convicted of unlawfully damaging trees and removing timber from a national forest. Matthew Keith Miller, 35, was found guilty in federal court on October 9, 2025.
Court documents show that the case began when an anonymous tipster contacted the U.S. Forest Service on January 18, 2025. The individual reported seeing several downed locust trees in a restricted area near Petites Gap Road in Rockbridge County and provided a photo of a truck used for transporting the wood. Authorities traced the vehicle to Miller.
Miller acknowledged removing trees from Petites Gap Road but stated he had a wood cutting permit and only collected dead timber. However, his permit did not allow timber harvesting in that specific area.
A Forest Service officer visited the site and discovered numerous live trees had been cut down. Additionally, investigators found multiple posts by Miller on Facebook Marketplace offering large amounts of locust timber for sale.
Acting U.S. Attorney Robert N. Tracci announced the sentencing.
The investigation was conducted by U.S. Forest Service Investigations.
