Project Shows that Low Value Tamarack is a Marketable Product

Research at the Natural Resources Research Institute (NRRI) in Duluth has shown that tamarack wood from trees that have been damaged by the Eastern Larch Beetle can be treated and repurposed. A pilot project in Minnesota’s Sax-Zim Bog used thermally-modified tamarack to build a boardwalk and demonstrates a potential use for wood that would otherwise be considered waste. With climate change, Minnesota's winters are warming faster than the yearly average, allowing some harmful insects - such as the Eastern Larch Beetle - to survive winter. About 440,000 acres of tamarack forests have already been affected, and those trees will likely not recover. The research at the NRRI shows how these damaged trees can have a second life.

Man standing with wood planks