The Tree Thieves

Three giant troll brothers. Warren, Helmut and Marwin, have appeared in Clinton, Iowa, hidden along the banks of the Mississippi. Clinton was once one of the great lumber towns of America. Between 1870 and 1940 its sawmills roared day and night, and the forest where the three brothers slept was cut to the ground and floated down the river. The trolls woke to find their home gone — so they came back to take the trees back. The Tree Thieves were built from local, reclaimed wood together with the community, in collaboration with The Sawmill Museum and Bickelhaupt Arboretum. Video by Ross Lippman. Ross is an independent video journalist from the United States, living in Rhode Island. Ross previously worked with Thomas in 2024 on an EMMY award winning documentary about Thomas’ artistic process, and his mission as a Garbage Artist. Ross followed Thomas and his team over the last week of The Tree Thieves project in Clinton, Iowa to make this video.