Caliente, NV -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/08/2014 -- Sage grouse could be listed as an endangered species in 2015. Mule deer numbers are on a decline. A big factor is habitat loss from Pinyon Juniper encroachment. Gary Barnett has a plan and with adequate help, they can start restoring this critical habitat, create jobs and make a big difference.

Pinyon Juniper is a small tree that has been encroaching on historically sage brush areas for the past 140 years due to fire suppression. Pinyon Juniper is the last species to establish and with regular fires it stayed in its historic range. Without fire it is spreading into sage brush flats and growing into a closed crown, effectively killing out vegetation and making it unsuitable habitat for animals. Within a 50 mile radius there is 722,000 acres that needs to be thinned. Currently Pinyon Juniper is treated by three methods, Mastication, Chaining and Lop and Scatter. These treatments have an average cost of $300 per acre and leave the wood to rot or be burned later with little to no utilization.

Over the past 6 years, Gary has come up with a plan to utilize the entire tree into different products. These products include firewood, fence posts, bundled wood and chimnea wood. Future products starting this summer include pellets, bio char, bio oil, and farther off generating electricity. Utilization is the key to driving down the cost of treatments and restoring habitat at a landscape level. His mission is to restore wildlife habitat and improve it through utilization. Gary will donate part of his profits to reseed areas he has harvested and put in water catchers and other habitat improvement for wildlife. At full build out, he will be restoring a couple thousand acres of habitat each year and employing 50 to 100 people full time.

The funding target of $100,000 will help Gary buy a 12 cord capacity commercial firewood kiln. This kiln can dry wood from a green tree to a ready to burn premium product in 24 to 48 hours. The 12 cord capacity of this kiln and the 3 cord capacity of the kiln Gary has already built will greatly increase the number of acres he can restore each year. Any money raised over the $100,000 goal will go towards purchasing equipment.

Indiegogo Page: http://bit.ly/1nmdT6x