Does Salvaging Beetle-Killed Timber Make Economic Sense?
Standing dead pine trees resulting from a mountain pine beetle epidemic are a common sight across the western United States. Timber salvage is an option that could address safety issues and lessen the threat of severe wildfires. A Southern Research Station-led study involving Eastern Threat Center research ecologist Frank Koch and North Carolina State University cooperating scientist Kevin Potter assessed the economics of salvaging dead pines in several western states to determine which areas may benefit from revenues--and which may not. Read more in CompassLive...
Pictured: Dead lodgepole pines - Photo by Whitney Cranshaw, Colorado State University, Bugwood.org
