Independent loggers and sawmills that have taken the beetle infested wood and have started to manufacture wood furniture. (Photo courtesy of Cheryll Gillespie)

I’m sitting here trying to bring to mind a friend, acquaintance or relative’s home that doesn’t have wood in it - be it in the cabinetry or on the floor. It’s truly hard to find a ‘woodless’ home as we all love the texture and warmth of wood regardless of our preferred decorating styles.

At home I’m a contemporary girl – glass and concrete. But even in the most modern of homes we employ wood floors. In my case I am currently considering one of two options; reclaimed alder or beetle wood. Both are hand-scraped, ten-inch planks of oiled, not varnished, planks.

Finding the right wood floors can be a challenge and I challenge you to look or think out side the box. We’ve talked many times about the ‘green’ value of choosing bamboo over hardwood and I do love the look of bamboo but it isn’t a perfect fit for every space so when bamboo isn’t the right choice where do you look?

How about reclaimed woods? Reclaimed wood is salvaged from commercial building before they are torn down, from old homes or barns, etc. The salvaged wood is full of character and aged beauty, one could say a timeless patina. You can get a one of a kind floor by using reclaimed wood and the beauty of real wood is that it can be sanded and restained or oiled just about any colour. It can even be hand scraped on site. Armed with the knowledge of your required square footage you can start searching the internet for suppliers of reclaimed wood.

The Pine Beetle is wiping out forests here in B.C. and in my opinion (my dad is a forester so it is a somewhat educated opinion) the only proven method of defeating this nasty bug is to log the infested tress. The mountain pine beetle attacks and kills mature and over-mature pine by boring through the bark and laying eggs. The larvae from the hatched eggs mine the area between bark and wood, cutting off the tree's water and nutrient flow.

The beetles carry a fungus that causes dehydration and inhibits the trees' natural defense mechanisms, once infested the tree will die. It's the fungus that leaves behind the characteristic blue stain, but it does not affect the quality or structural capabilities of the wood.

The exciting news is that independent loggers and sawmills that have taken the beetle infested wood and have started to manufacture wood flooring, furniture, cabinetry and even log homes from wood that was once thought useless. This natural discoloration creates a beautiful contrasting characteristic of Blue-Grey wood and is often called “Beetle Wood,” "Blue Mountain Pine" or “Blue Denim.” Google any of these and you’ll find quite a few suppliers of the new ‘vogue wood.’

It takes a little more effort to find and commit to Beetle Wood or reclaimed wood floors but the effort will be paid back ten fold with ‘green karma’ and one of a kind beauty.