Because of our love for southern Colorado, the business isn't located in the most convenient place for everyone to come by and browse the stacks and packs. This makes it important for us to have a great team at Collector's Specialty Woods. We help our customers find what they are looking for when they can't put their hands on it. Cheryl, our head inventory person, spends her days photographing and preparing wood to be listed in our database and on our website. She braves the crazy weather, fights the Colorado sun with a camera flash, and makes sure that as much information as possible is provided so that clients can really get a "feel" for what they are looking at. Imar, our Sales Specialist, is constantly on the go - running from the yard to his desk in search of just what someone is looking for. He is always ready to talk through projects, answer questions, and take extra photos for you. The yard crew, Alan and Jared, are ever busy, unloading, loading, stacking and unstacking, milling and minding material, and getting things ready to ship out or putting things under cover. They may be behind the scenes, but we couldn't survive without them. Kent, owner and head poobah, is filling special orders, keeping specialty lumber coming in, and keeping tabs on everything else. So, even if you are far away, we try to bring the lumber yard to you. Call and chat with Dianna, our new office manager, and let us know how we are doing. And, if you know of any way to emit cedar smells through the computer monitor, please call Alana - I/T and other hats.

The mesquite tree is a hardy desert dweller. Native to southern North America down through northern South America, it has since been spread all over the world. Its tenacious character allows it to survive and even thrive in faraway dry places like parts of Australia, Africa, and the Middle East. Its hardiness can be a mixed blessing for people; although the adult tree is useful for lumber and fuel, the impenetrable thorny brambles of younger mesquite growths are troublesome for ranchers and livestock and can be very difficult to remove.

A little water goes a long way for the tree, which has been known to grow a taproot nearly 200 feet down into the earth in order to reach groundwater. In Bahrain, there is a single mesquite tree that has stood for over a hundred years in the middle of the full desert. They call it the Tree of Life, and no one knows how it finds the water to survive.

As lumber, mesquite has many desirable characteristics. It is very hard, dense, and stable. The color is rich buttery brown, with a pronounced and beautiful grain, and is prized for furniture, turning, knife handles, gun stocks, and mantelpieces. Also good to know, after the woodwork is done and the day is winding down: mesquite burns hot and slow, and it's sweet smoke is the soul of Texas-style barbeque.

We have a wide selection of mesquite in stock: inexpensive but beautiful 4/4 material great for paneling, 4/4 hand picked/high graded furniture stock, wide plank tops, and thick cut mantel stock. This material is dry and ready to be used in your next project! Check out some of our thick cut tops and mantels below.