How To Calculate the Cost of Beetle Kill Pine
We can all breathe a sigh of relief that the pine beetle epidemic in Colorado finally seems to be ending! The situation was becoming dire, but, thankfully, it seems nature has run its course and that things are balancing out. But, then again, there’s still this to deal with:
Cringe-worthy. We know.
All-in-all about 70% of Colorado’s lodgepole pines met this fate. These trees, as you can tell, pose a major fire threat. They have to be removed, but if they are not recycled then they have to be burnt, which will further add to the elevated CO2 levels caused by their absence.
So what can you do? You can choose to use Colorado Beetle Kill Lumber of course! The more that homeowners use, the less that has to be disposed of. So, how much does beetle kill pine, or blue stain pine, cost?
The Formula
One important factor to keep in mind when buying materials for Beetle Kill Pine projects is that, like most lumber, the price is determined by the amount of linear feet that you need. Many projects are estimated in square feet, so it’s first important to convert your square feet into linear feet. This may seem straightforward to some, but here is how we do it:
Linear feet = (square feet x 1.33) / 0.5
Don’t be squared now y’all! Take out your smartphones. Let’s say you want to put blue stain flooring in a 300 sq ft. room. You would need:
Linear feet = (300 sq ft. x 1.33) / 0.5
Linear feet = 399 / 0.5 = 798 linear feet!
So now that we have our linear feet we just need to multiply by the average price per foot of blue stain pine, which on 7/12/17 (subject to change of course) is about .75 cents/foot for a tongue and groove 1×6. We therefore have:
Price = (798 linear feet x .75 cents)
Price = $598.50
Not bad! Donate that extra .50 cents to charity and you’ve got a new deck for $599 dollars! But…then there’s labor costs.
Don’t worry, though, because after 42 years in business, we at Rocky Mountain Forest Products are pretty well qualified to recommend some contractors for you. Just give us a call and we can do the math FOR YOU or answer any other questions that you might have about beetle kill materials. Here’s some inspiration for you in the meantime…

Beetle kill pine siding
We are looking for 9 sq ft, 3/4 in or similar.can be 3 FT in length. A friend want us to make her one of our trees but needs to match her furniturr. Is it possible to buy and ship some?
Oy Mate,
I am planning on converting a van in the next month and would love to use some local beetle kill wood having seen the drastic changes within Colorado and being a native to the area. I am not too sure about how much wood I wood (pun intended) need to build out a sprinter. Have you worked with anyone in the past who has used your wood to build side panelling, counters, cabinets and such?
I live in Golden and would love to swing by to visit the shop and talk about possibilities if possible. Let me know
Cheers
Hello guys/gals at RMFP
I have purchased from you before; last summer. You had a good price on Craig’s list, (that is my memory). Are your prices anywhere near that price now? I’m building out my basement and will soon be starting that phase of my project. I have a planer so I don’t have to have planed wood.
If I were to buy 600 sq ft what would my price be?
Many thanks, Dave Clemans
Hey Dave! Sorry we’re just now seeing this! We would love to still get you a quote on this if you’re in the market. Give us a call @ 303.857.5049!
We would love to use beetle kill pine to do our floors upstairs. We have 1500 sq. ft.
There are different views regarding beetle kill in Colorado. Some view it as a natural cycle while others believe it should be prevented. Unfortunately, such prevention measures are very expensive and not practical. Chemical treatments applied to lodgepole pines in the spring is effective, but the costs are $50 per tree in addition to annual treatments as needed.