"There is a whole industry that has grown for the last ten years of companies turning these diseased trees into wood pellets for wood stoves and other products." I was told they basically have a two year window to get any useful lumber from a beetle-killed tree, but I don't know if that applies if they're going to turn the tree into pellets. On the other hand, if they're going to turn the tree into wood pellets, I don't know if it's worth in monetarily to go after trees that are very difficult to reach.
Not every tree can be reached profitably, but a lot can. The ones that can't be reached are a fire hazard, but logging the ones that can be reached reduces the forest fire danger. This company has been in business for ten years now.
Confluence Energy