Ponderosa Pine is our local log source which grows abundantly here in Elbert County. Elbert and Elizabeth began as sawmill camps in 1855 as a source of timber which supplied lumber material for the railroad and lumber to build both Denver and Colorado Springs. Logging in it’s height in 1870 employed 700 teamsters and 1000 lumberjacks and more than billion board feet of Ponderosa Pine was harvested.
Today Mountain Heart Woodworks is the only commercial mill that we know of in the county. Ponderosa Pine stands tall in the saddle among softwoods it’s lumber among the most beautiful and durable of all Pines. Ponderosa Pine is used for almost all applications that lumber is used for from construction to woodworking. Unfortunately the Ponderosa Pine forest is also being affected from the Ips Beetle and the Mountain Pine Beetle. We work with several local arborist and tree fellers that are providing fire medication and beetle control for the sustainability of the forest.
Many of the beautiful Live Edge Slabs that we mill come from the Ponderosa Pine. Because the tree can grow up to 36″ wide we are able to get a lot of our wide board and slabs from this material. Timbers from the Ponderosa Pine is also very popular as well as framing material. Another tried and true product is Knotty Pine T&G/Shiplap paneling. Because of the beetle problem the coloring in the Pondo is stunning with beautiful Blues, Browns and Red coloring.
