Beetles are killing off large swaths of forest throughout the Rocky Mountain region, but every cloud has a silver lining, right?
Officials in Carbon County think so. They hope to put the wood to use.
County Commissioner Jerry Paxton said he hopes that beetle-killed trees can be used for lumber before they become too dried out, which takes two to three years after a tree dies. He said the availability of beetle-killed timber in the Medicine Bow Mountains could be justification to reopen sawmills in Encampment and Saratoga.
There's also talk of using beetle-killed wood to produce ethanol.
"We've had at least five different energy companies looking at different forms of energy conversion," said Larry Hicks, natural resource coordinator for the Little Snake River Conservation District.
Hicks said the technology to make ethanol from wood chips is rapidly advancing.
Paxton said making ethanol from wood chips would be better than using corn because corn has other uses - namely, to eat. He said he hopes that Carbon County can land a pilot project to make ethanol from beetle-killed trees.
"We're just putting out feelers to anybody who may be interested," he said.
Hicks said beetle-killed trees have been used for local building over the past few years, but the supply of dead wood far outstrips demand.
Beetle-killed wood often has a bluish tint caused by fungus. Clint Kyhl, beetle incident commander for the U.S. Forest Service, said some people like the coloring for use in paneling.
Still another option could be to sell beetle-killed wood to mining and drilling companies for use as mulch in land reclamation projects. Hicks said wood chips help reclamation by boosting soil fertility.
Cold winter weather typically kills off bark beetles, but several warm winters in a row have led to beetle outbreaks in much of the West. The dead trees can help fuel large wildfires.Associated Press via the Billings Gazette
