The Mountain Pine Beetles have been a prevalent issue for forests across North America for roughly a decade; however, new uses for the large number of trees that Beetles have killed have proven an affordable raw material for producing a variety of goods.   “Only [seven] years ago, industry believed little could be done with it apart from artistic or cosmetic uses for wood, which was being marketed as ‘denim pine.’ Traditional uses of pine, in construction and elsewhere, were considered impossible for beetle-kill wood”. – The Sustainable Lumber Company While builders... Read More

Gregory Canyon’s trailhead has seen better days. Currently, it’s actually in the process of seeing better days, because construction vehicles are finally beginning to rebuild the road that was destroyed in last year’s floods. I hadn’t been in the Gregory Canyon area since before Boulder’s big flooding incident, so this road was quite a shock to me, but it was merely foreshadowing what was yet to come on the trail. The Saddle Rock trail looks quite a bit different since the floods. The flooding paved a huge riverbed through the forest area, leaving behind all of... Read More

After the disastrous floods which lasted from September 11 through September 15, Boulder County has officially been designated a Federal Disaster Area. According to CNN, there have now been seven confirmed fatalities and approximately 18,000 homes across the state have seen damage. Nearly 200 miles of state highways will need to be repaired along with many more miles of local roads. It’s been estimated that repairing all of the damage may end up costing businesses, homeowners, and local governments up to two billion dollars. Here in Boulder, Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle has said that... Read More