01/08/08 Bark Beetles or Blue Pine

Isn't there a saying that if "life hands you lemons' make lemonade"? Anyhow, something of that sort is occurring right now in Colorado. The terrible carnage the dreaded bark-beetle has left in its wake, the acres and acres of dead lodge pole pine are now being preserved and in some cases even treasured as artifacts. Builders and furniture designers are using beetle killed logs in their creations and due to the fact that last year alone over 650,000 acres of timber were infected, Colorado sawmills that were recently struggling to stay a float are now busy turning all the beetle-killed pine into boards. So much of the pine is being processed that before long, Blue Pine, named for the attractive light blue streaks caused by bark beetles could be appearing in local Lowes or Home Depot stores for use in our own Northwest homes . The harvesting of downed trees also serves a valuable tool to fight forest fires clearing the land of what has become a tinderbox of kindling. So thanks to the good old entrepreneurial spirit what was once regarded as a total devastation has generated a wealth of opportunity.