Yes 90 percent of the yew logged around these parts is burned in either large slash piles or fire places, it is a huge waste. The reason for it is because the logging companies around here are only interested in High volume low quality to supply large markets, you make more money that way. Yew is very low volume with lots of defect in the product but has potential to be very high quality - something that the logging outfits here would rather burn.
12 years ago I paid $2400.00 for a plane ride to aus to do the east coast back packer thing for 6 weeks I couldnt imagine how much it would cost to ship yew.