Beetle kill pine

[BlackPR]

I was just reading about this exact subject the other day, that is such a beautiful wood.  Here is a youtube video on a company that exclusively uses this wood.  Thought you would like to watch it.

Interesting, he's local!   I'm sure I've seen his work around, but never met him.  I'll have to track him down.  Believe it or not, we have seen shortages of blue pine on the retail market.  Colorado has a tax incentive going for people utilizing the beetle kill, but the micro-mill industry was driven to near complete extinction here a decade or so ago.  It's coming back and fast... but with 4 million acres of beetle kill, sometimes the only thing you can find on the retail market is (believe it or not) imported from Canada (and doesn't meet the tax exemption requirements).

Where are you from? Welcome to the Forum. 

I'm in the Denver area, but my property and my Mill are in the Northern Colorado mountains.     Thanks for the welcome... I actually have been a lurker for years, but just never got around to posting.

[Schramm]

Beautiful wood.

[beenthere]

There is a Forest Service study floating around that shows the longevity of Lodgepole in structural applications is very nearly as long as western red ceder (surprised me, if true).   

No apparent reason that the structural integrity of the two different woods won't last equally as long if kept high and dry.

Or were you hinting that as a material in ground contact, that the lodgepole would last nearly as long before it degraded to a non-service condition?
Much would depend on the environment the woods were place. 

[BlackPR]

There is a Forest Service study floating around that shows the longevity of Lodgepole in structural applications is very nearly as long as western red ceder (surprised me, if true).   

No apparent reason that the structural integrity of the two different woods won't last equally as long if kept high and dry.

Or were you hinting that as a material in ground contact, that the lodgepole would last nearly as long before it degraded to a non-service condition?
Much would depend on the environment the woods were place. 

I went and dug up the PDF...   It's attached.  They do discuss the conditions, and the conditions impacted longevity based on geography and other issues.   The study was "Comparative Durability of Untreated Wood Above Ground".  Actually, just scanning it again, Lodgepole Heartwood seems to have significantly outperformed Western Red Ceder.

[hardtailjohn]

What always amazed me is that when you're selling bug kill lodgepole, it's not that desireable at most mills.....but when you go to buy it back....well then it's VERY valuable! haha  My Mom and Dad sold millions of board feet of buggy lodgepole from our ranch to a mill in the valley here. The buyer always made it sound like he was doing them such a favor by buying it...then when they went to buy lodgepole back, while they were building their new house (almost 30 years ago... yah, bug kill pine isn't a new thing), it was the most expensive stuff they had! haha.

[beenthere]

Actually, just scanning it again, Lodgepole Heartwood seems to have significantly outperformed Western Red Ceder.

However, the comparison was to Western Red Cedar sapwood ( sapwood to sapwood comparison was pretty close to equal in performance).
Good to read some of Highley's work. He was a classmate of mine back in the day.

hardtail is right. Bug killed pine isn't a new thing. But a continuing thing, and important now as it burns up peoples expensive mountain homes.