Our Logs: Naturally Dry & Ready to Build
Superior Quality Shipped Directly to You
Why Montana Logs Are the Finest
Montana's low humidity, high elevations, and long, harsh winters—coupled with hot summers and strong alpine winds—create ideal conditions for exceptionally strong, dense logs. Trees growing slowly in these challenging environments develop tighter growth rings, greater strength, and superior durability compared to faster-growing logs from lower-elevation valley floors, even within the same species.
We source only old-growth, naturally seasoned, high-elevation logs that have endured decades of extreme temperature swings and low-moisture air, resulting in harder, more stable timber perfectly suited for log homes. While our forests offer abundant fir, larch, cedar, and hardwoods at lower costs per ton, extensive testing has shown that our dead-standing logs excel in every key area: minimal settling, outstanding strength, excellent stain acceptance, rich natural beauty and color variation, superior dimensional stability, and—most notably—reduced deflection (bending) under load, outperforming anything else we've evaluated.
This unmatched quality ensures your Lazarus Log Home not only looks stunning but stands the test of time with exceptional structural integrity and lasting performance.
No-Waste Mindset at the Mill
The Species We Use
Lodgepole Pine (High Elevation)
Engelmann Spruce
Why Not Cedar?
Precision Craftsmanship
Natural Color & Character
Our logs showcase a rich array of natural colors—from deep blues and grays to subtle hints of purple, brown, orange, yellow, and red—thanks to the unique processes that killed the trees: standing death from beetle infestations (which introduce vibrant blue-stain fungi) or fire damage (often preserving bark while allowing natural weathering and pigmentation). Unlike plain, uniform blonde tones typical of kiln-dried fresh-cut lumber, these reclaimed logs retain their authentic, varied character because the color develops organically in the standing-dead state rather than being stripped away or altered by aggressive kiln processes. This distinctive palette gives your log home a warm, one-of-a-kind aesthetic that celebrates nature's artistry and the "back to life" renewal at the heart of Lazarus Log Homes.
The logs are far more beautiful than any you have seen in both color and character — our specialty.
Better Wood & Better Environment
At Lazarus Log Homes, our commitment to the environment begins with sourcing naturally dead standing logs—primarily from beetle-killed or fire-damaged trees—rather than harvesting live timber. By salvaging these already-dead trees, we help clean up Western Montana's forests, removing potential fuel loads that could contribute to more intense wildfires if left to accumulate and decay, while preventing the release of stored carbon back into the atmosphere through decomposition or burning. This practice promotes carbon sequestration by locking the wood's captured carbon into durable, long-lasting log homes for decades or centuries, instead of allowing it to escape as greenhouse gases.
We also eliminate the need for energy-intensive kiln drying, which typically relies on fossil fuels and generates significant emissions; our logs air-dry naturally in Montana's low-humidity, high-elevation climate, resulting in a far lower carbon footprint and reduced environmental impact from processing. Overall, choosing reclaimed dead-standing timber supports sustainable forestry, minimizes disruption to living ecosystems, and aligns with our "Back to Life" motto by giving these once-lost resources renewed purpose in eco-friendly, resilient homes.
