Landowner Gets Even After Beetles Destroy 10,000 Trees

Larry Lipson found a way to get back at the mountain pine beetles that descended on his ranch and killed 10,000 trees. He made them accessories. The mountain pine beetle can attack a tree like a pack of dogs attacking an elk, according to the U.S. Forest Service. Lipson wasn’t going to let them destroy his 37,000 acres of land. After isolating and controlling the beetles, he decided not to burn the wood. Instead, he sent the wood to a mill for processing. What came back was a blue-stained wood that Lipson uses to create tech accessories for Apple products. Lipson hopes his sustainable practices will raise awareness about the pine beetle infestation. Read more (New York Times).