Colorado Harvested Fir for Timber Frame Construction

"What kind of timber should you use for your house?" Spend a few minutes reading the descriptions below, and let us know which species fits you the best.
	White Fir (Colorado harvested) Price: Low Availability: Variable Environmental footprint: Very Low Appearance/Characteristics: Very light colored, with even knots. Our favorite Colorado species, it shows less tendency to shrink and twist than Englemann Spruce or Douglas Fir.
	Englemann Spruce (Colorado harvested) Price: Low Availability: Steady Environmental Footprint: Very Low Appearance/Characteristics: Very light colored, this species principal drawback is its tendency to check. When sawn and graded correctly, Englemann Spruce is very stable. Most of the Englemann Spruce we use has been beetle killed and comes from tagged Forest Service sales.
	Douglas Fir(Colorado Harvested) Price: Low to Medium Availability: Variable Environmental Footprint: Very Low Appearance/Characteristics: The prettiest species we use here in Colorado, with strong variation between nearly white sapwood and the classic pink of all Douglas firs. Douglas fir has the most tendency toward shrinkage and twisting of any of the Colorado species.
	Douglas Fir (coastal) Price: Medium to High Availability: Constant Environmental Footprint: Variable, from low to high, depending on where and how it's harvested. Appearance/Characteristics: Classically colored, this species remains the most widely used in the industry. Millions upon millions of dollars of sawmills and other infrastructure exist to procure the harvesting and processing of this noble tree. It's available green, standing dead, and Radio Frequency Kiln Dried (RFKD). It's available in more size and length than nearly any other species.
	Larch (coastal) Price: Medium to High Availability: Constant Environmental Footprint: Low Appearance/Characteristics: Very similar to Douglas Fir, they are often sold as one and the same. Our larch is sustainably harvested standing dead, saving live trees for future generations. Although commercially it's rated the same as Douglas Fir, it's generally considered to be stronger and more rot resistant. It's slightly more expensive than new, green Douglas fir, but a lot cheaper than recycled or kiln dried.
	White Fir (Coastal) Price: Medium Availability: Constant Environmental Footprint: Variable, from low to high depending on where and how it's harvested. Appearance/Characteristics: Same as listed above for Colorado Harvested Whit Fir, Coastal White is more available in general, and available in higher grades, bigger sizes, and longer lengths than the Colorado variety.
	Recycled Price: High to Very High Availability: Constant, but always with the caveat of design flexibility. Recycled, in general, is always available while specific sizes or species may not be at a reasonable price. Environmental Footprint: Low to very low, depending on shipping distance. Appearance: Variable at best. As-is recycled is gray or brown in color, typically with light to heavy damage depending on its previous life.
	Aspen Price: Average Availability: Steady Environmental Footprint: Very low Appearance: Strikingly beautiful when installed as a ceiling or floor, aspen has the strongest variety of colors of any wood we use. Curl or quilting reminiscent of maple is not uncommon. It shows up as tongue and groove for floors, wall, or ceilings, and as smaller timbers like newel posts.