An illegal logging operation causing substantial surface damage was discovered in January in Canyons of the Ancients National Monument.

Monument manager Marietta Eaton said the violation occurred near the Utah border north of Montezuma County Road 10. Citations were issued, but no names have been released.

“It has been so dry, they were able to drive in and cut or pull down more than 20 juniper trees,” Eaton said. “Then they returned a second time to buck it up.”

There is no woodcutting or wood collection allowed in the monument.

Three suspects were given summons to appear in U.S. District Court in Durango on Thursday.

Eaton said there was substantial off-road damage, about 1.5 miles that will need to be rehabilitated.

“Luckily, there were no cultural resources in the area of the illegal-fuel wood gathering operation,” Eaton said.

BLM law-enforcement officer Logan Briscoe issued the citations and said the investigation is continuing.”

The illegal timber harvest is one of the largest officials have seen.

No fuel-wood permits are issued within the monument. It is banned because of archaeological sites.

“Wood collection was shut down on the monument because typically you have to drive off-road to get to a tree, and that creates a lot of potential for damage to cultural sites,” Briscoe said.

The people used a truck and an ATV to access and move the trees, according to court documents. They accessed the area via a two-track road that officials will landscape to hide it from County Road 10. It will be signed as nonmotorized use only.

“It comes at a cost to the taxpayer because the area has to be rehabilitated where the tracks caused damage, and that takes time and money,” Briscoe said.