DENVER - Colorado pine lumber with a blue tinge is looking green to Gene Myers, CEO of New Town Builders.
The construction executive said his firm will now specifiy Blue Stained Pine for framing and studs, lumber from pine trees infested by the Mountain Pine Beetle in Colorado.
This is the first time a mass quantity purchase has been made of the wood, which picks up a blue tinge from the effects of Mountain Pine Beetle larvae that hatch under its bark. The beetles have killed millions of acres of lodgepole and ponderosa pine through the Western U.S. and Canada, a factor that has
"Homebuyers who find themselves attracted to the New Town Builders' values, this was an easy decision," Myers said.
Colorado in particular has launched an effort to find uses for 3 million-plus acres standing timber devastated by the beetle, which has further damaged an already struggling lumber industry.
"Finding productive uses for these trees has been a priority for the state," said Gov. John Hickenlooper, a move he says will "help restore forest ecosystems, reduce wildfire threats, and protect watersheds Blue Stained Pine will help create jobs in Colorado, prop up the struggling lumber industry in the state, and perhaps most importantly, help reduce the threat of forest fire."
The lumber is graded by the West Coast Lumber Inspection Bureau to ensure strength and durability that meets construction standards.
Mountain pine beetle infestations continue to kill entire hillsides of lodgepole pine. Three other tree species also suffer from this intrusive insect – ponderosa, limber, and bristlecone pine trees. The epidemic’s core area exists in the Arapaho, White River, and Medicine Bow-Routt, National Forests and adjacent forested lands.
Triggered by drought and a shorter frost season, mountain pine beetle populations grew across a landscape of mature, dense, homogenous lodgepole pine trees. The long-term drought weakened tree resistance. Numerous warm winters also helped beetles survive and multiply. The vast tracts of mature lodgepole pine forests are more prone to beetle kill than more vigorous younger forests.
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