Terra Magazine recently profiled Steve Ashley's vision to create new markets for products from western juniper. Steve worked hard to find a use for an invasive tree species that inhabits central Oregons dry, desert regions.

"Transforming juniper from problem to profitability is the vision of OSU forestry student Steve Ashley. Cultivating new markets for juniper products could benefit not just Oregon’s ranchers but also its mills, builders, landscapers, furniture makers, garden centers, retailers and enterprises in specialty niches such as essential oils, craft distilleries and animal bedding," he says. "And then there’s the growing demand for sustainable energy. Juniper is a vast source of biomass just waiting to be tapped," Ashley asserts.

Read the full story here: "From Problem to Profit".