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The Sawatch Energy Resource Center (SERC), based in Leadville, Colorado, is a collaborative enterprise dedicated to pioneering new technologies, developing renewable energy solutions, strengthening local economies, and exemplifying resource stewardship. Throughout all of our research, education and production endeavors, we seek to create a more viable and vibrant future for Central Colorado, the Rocky Mountain West, and beyond. We invite you to learn more about SERC, and welcome your ideas, involvement and support.
Beetle Kill: Crisis and Opportunity
A drive through Central Colorado provides stark visual evidence that thousands of acres of lodge pole pine, along with other pine species, have been decimated by bark beetle infestation. Risks of catastrophic fire, property loss, and watershed degradation are real.
By thinning both damaged and vulnerable forests, local communities can do more than mitigate fire risk—they can improve long-term forest health and provide a key local resource for renewable energy. How? Beetle-killed timber is an exceptional source for manufactured wood pellets, which can be used for multiple home and commercial energy applications. This is just one of the areas in which SERC will play a proactive role in making the best of Colorado’s bark beetle crisis.