For more than a decade, drought conditions have set the stage for a mountain pine beetle epidemic throughout millions of acres of forest in the Rocky Mountain West. Standing dead lodgepole pines pose a safety risk when left by roadsides or in campgrounds, and state agencies have struggled to clear out the hazardous wood.

But it hasn鈥檛 all ended up in the chipper. Seeing opportunity in the timber, various designers in Colorado and Montana have manipulated the wood into everything from cabinets to coffins. founder Barry Clark says he created his business out of the desire to do something productive with the surplus pine. 鈥淵ou walk outside the front door, and it鈥檚 just depressing to see so much of this wood,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 thought about how I could use it in a meaningful way.鈥�

Though once considered waste, 鈥渂lue-stain pine鈥� is now in vogue, partly because it comes mottled with blue-gray streaks from a fungus carried by the bugs. Below we've complied a list of beetle-kill wood products to serve your outdoor lifestyle鈥攁nd remind you of the delicate state of the woods out west.

Meier Skis

You can see stringers of beetle-kill wood beneath the transparent聽topsheet聽of聽. The company's locally-harvested Aspen cores make these planks lightweight鈥攁n advantage for backcountry skiers. The environmentally-aware company only uses wood-based epoxies and toxic-free materials for its products.

I've Got Wood lamps

The vertical shapes ofhanging lamps trace the pine's natural silvery-cobalt bands perfectly. Once the fixtures are lit, their laser-cut patterns look like glowing molecules suspended in the air.

Azure Furniture Coasters

, Corbin Clay creates the Denver company鈥檚 signature square coasters by lopping off leg ends from the farm tables he builds. All the tables, benches, and storage pieces are crafted from locally-sourced beetle-kill pine. They're also built from a 鈥減assion for pure lines,鈥� as Clay puts it, 鈥渁nd a respect for the wood itself.鈥�

Beetlekill Boards San Juan Camp Chair

Made from beetle-kill pine and upholstered with sailcloth,聽is easy to fold flat and carry to the next picnic or climbing spot. It's a great way to sit and enjoy the woods鈥攚hile they鈥檙e still around.聽

Bad Beetle iPhone Replacement Back

Pop out your iPhone鈥檚 glass backing and screw in a聽聽back to give your device a rustic twist. An accompanying kit provides all you need for the operation. The accessory comes engraved with a likeness of the eponymous critter, and Bad Beetle plans to donate a portion of its profits toward reforestation efforts in Montana.

Weston Snowboards

The clever alternation of beetle-kill wood and poplar stringers under a maple聽topsheet聽makes聽Weston鈥檚聽聽and聽splitboards聽light, yet still stiff enough to dampen chatter.

Marshwood Guitars

鈥檚 handcrafted electric guitars feature a body of beetle-kill pine, a neck painted brilliant cobalt, and an abalone beetle medallion inlaid at the聽12th聽fret.

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