We’d like to share with you some inventory with a very different look. Our Blue-Stained Pine is unique in that it is some of our only inventory that is not reclaimed and recycled lumber, but rather rescued.
Source
In the Sierra Nevada foothills where the Crossroads Lumber yard is located, there is a Western Bark Beetle epidemic. Driving up Road 225 in North Fork, visitors to Crossroads can see hundreds of standing dead and dying Sugar Pine, Ponderosa Pine, and Douglas Firs in the Sierra National Forest behind our yard.
These dying trees will become a fire hazard, and so Crossroads has taken action to procure some of the standing dead trees before they rot and are no longer usable lumber. We feel this is the most environmentally appropriate action to take.
Cause & Effect
The Western Bark Beetle is a normal component of the eco-systems of Central Sierra Nevada forests, but they’re currently out of control. The U.S. Forest Service reports that the epidemic is due in large part to climate change.
Warmer temperatures allow the insects to reproduce two and three times as often as normal, while late winters extend their lifespan and impact on the woods, and droughts make normally healthy trees more susceptible to predators. Usually by the time a tree shows symptoms of infestations, the beetles have already moved on, and the dying tree cannot be saved.
Inventory & Characteristics
As its name suggests, this lumber is remarkable for the shades of blue that streak the golden Ponderosa Pine and Sugar Pine wood, as a chemical reaction from the dying tree. These boards are perfectly sound with an occasional oblong hole, or multiple oblong holes showing where the beetles entered the trees; marks of history in the fashion of reclaimed lumber.
This stock is available in the following dimensions:
1X6-1X12
2X6-2X12
4X6-4X12
As usual, some specialty cuts are available upon request
Our Blue-Stained Pine is most often used as siding, paneling, and flooring. The Pine is a softwood and will scuff easily as flooring. Some people love this effect and will intentionally markup the floor. There’s a story of a rancher who walked horses over his floor for a Pioneer flooring effect.
We also have slabs of this Pine for use as countertops or mantle pieces. Marc Mandel, the owner of Crossroads Recycled Lumber and Pacific Northwest Timbers, incorporated one of these beautiful Blue-Stained Pine Countertop Slabs from Crossroads into his home.
To learn more about our inventory of Blue-Stained Pine rescued from local standing dead trees, you can call or e-mail us at the information in the top right corner of the website.
