Our western forests are the epicenter of a raging outbreak of the Mountain Pine Beetle. These tiny little insects are wreaking havoc and leaving a trail of devastation in their wake. From the forests of British Columbia to Colorado, these rice grain sized beetles are leaving entire forests dead or dying.

The beetles kill the trees through a process called girdling; they eat only the cambium layer or growth layer, effectively starving the tree. Since the tree is unable to move water and nutrients throughout its structure it begins to die from the top down. Needles will begin to appear red and at that point it's too late. The beetles breed and then move on to their next tree, starting the process all over again.

These trees dry in the forest for 2-3 years before being harvested. They have no value to the conventional lumber market and until relatively recently these trees were considered a waste product and they would be either chipped onto the forest floor or turned over to cogeneration plants.

Sierra Log Homes, as well as many others in the log home industry see these trees for what they could be. They are straight, tall, naturally and thoroughly dry timber that can be turned into beautiful log homes. These standing dead trees qualify as reclaimed timber and they are a sustainable and green building resource.

The good news for our forests is that this is not the end. The Mountain Pine Beetle doesn't attack young trees.  Other more mature and healthy trees are able to withstand the assaults. Within two generations, a mature Lodgepole Pine forest will emerge once again and carpet these beautiful mountains with their emerald green. An important tactic for the future of our forests involves proper management. The beetles prefer mature, dense stands of various pine species. A diversity of those species combined with the varied age and structure of future forests will result in trees that are much more resilient and less vulnerable to insect attacks.