Apple tree heist leaves Quebec orchard bare

Apple orchard owners in Rougemont, Que., made an infuriating discoverywhentheyrealized anentirefieldof young apple treeshadbeenstolen Friday night.

"The people who did this are idiots. The trees won't survive this time of year. They must be drying out right now. They did it all for nothing," said Jeannot Alix, who owns the orchard about an hour's drive from Montreal.

• Agricultural commodity theft in Quebec

Alix said the value of the trees is about $1,700, butwhen he includesthe cost of labour and thelost profits,his family will lose about $5,000.

The Alix family has had apple trees stolen on other occasions, but never so many at one time.

"We've had one, two or three stolen from time to time. They say it's people who take them and replant the trees on their property, but 140, that's something else!" said Diane Alix, Jeannot's wife.

Provincial police said they have already closed the case because they don't have enough leads to pursue.

"It was an isolated incident that happened overnight," said Sret du Qubec investigator Sgt. Stphane Manuri. "There is absolutely no evidence to allow us to continue the investigation."

Manuri said he has never seen a crime like this before.

The Alix family said the loss is not high enough to be covered by theQuebecCrop Insurance Program and home insurance does not protect against this type of theft.

This is not the first instance of large-scalehorticultural theft in Quebec.

In the past year, thieves have stolen large quantities of corn, maple syrup and garlic.

• Maple syrup worth up to $30M stolen in Quebec
• Bold thieves empty corn silos at Quebec farm
• Thieves make off with $4K in garlic from Quebec farm