Though you may not recognize it by name, odds are you’ve seen beetle kill wood in design. Salvaged from the western forests, it is commanding unbelievable prices in certain markets. In fact, beetle kill wood is rapidly becoming one of the hottest design trends in 2013.

The Mountain Pine Beetle has long been a natural part of the western forest’s life cycle. By killing weakened or older trees, the Mountain Pine Beetle helps younger trees grow faster. Unusually dry summers and mild winters have caused a pandemic among Lodgepole pines. The Mountain Pine Beetle infests these trees. It lays its eggs in the bark of host trees. It also introduces blue stain fungus into the tree.

While the populations of these beetles have historically been kept in check by winter freezes and summer moisture, the combination of mild winters and hot, dry summers have led to a beetle explosion.

The blue fungus weakens a host trees native defenses allowing Western Pine Beetle to carry out its life cycle without interruption.

The combination of beetle-infested wood infestation and blue stain fungus has proven quite fatal to the trees and can rapidly destroy large sections of healthy forest.

Mild winters and hot, dry summers have allowed beetle populations to explode. Historically, winter freezes and summer moisture kept them in check. Warmer temperatures have also expanded their native habitat by over half a million acres. In all, the recent pandemic of Mountain Pine Beetle has killed off an area of western forest about the size of Rhode Island.

Beetle-infested wood

The recent uptick in forest fire severity has led to a growing concern with removing the dead trees left in Mountain Pine Beetle’s wake in order to reduce the available fuel for future wildfires. Luckily a growing design trend is aiding in this process. The silver lining to the beetle kill facing the western forest is the fact that lumber salvaged from these dead trees gains a unique, beautiful coloration that is growing immensely in popularity.

Beetle Kill trees provide beautiful lumber. This wood is perfect for flooring, ceiling paneling, and other design applications. The stuff has grown into one of the hottest design trends among architects from Colorado to California. The wood displays distinct areas of blue-gray and white tones. There are occasional bright blue or green streaks so vivid they make the wood appear painted.

While we don’t stock Beetle Kill Wood (yet), we do offer a number of rustic and design grade lumber options. We also provide hardwood slabs that are not typical to most Ohio sawmills and hardwood lumber suppliers. Check out our lumber section for more information about hardwood lumber from Timber Works.