|
||
|
Treated Wood Saves Trees
 It's a fact. Pressure treated wood saves trees. There are precious few substitutes for wood, one of our most valued, versatile building materials. Wood is economical and plentiful, prized for its warmth, its beauty, strength, and workability. Wood will remail a vital, renewable resource only if our forests are soundly managed. The wood we harvest must be wisely used. And it must be made to last. Today, every tree must count. Extending the life of the wood we must use means we'll cut down fewer trees. Wood has natural enemies. Preyed upon by fungi, insects and millions of microorganisms, wood is susceptible to rot and decay. It's especially true wherever wood comes in contact with the ground or water. But modern technology has developed ways of protecting wood from its natural predators, injecting it wih preservatives which are retained in the wood cells. The process, known as pressure treatment, renders wood useless as food for fungi and insects, ensuring wood's natural structural soundness and extending its useful life. Pressure treated lumber will last many times longer than untreated lumber. During the pressure treating process, preservatives are forced into the wood cells. By depositing the preservatives into the cellular structure of the wood, the useful service life is significantly increased over that of untreated wood. These preservatives are highly leach-resistant. The pressure treatment process does not alter wood's essential characteristics. Treated lumber will will not shrink, swell, check, split or warp to any greater degree than will the same species left untreated. It simply lasts longer and remains stronger, an ideal construction material. Pressure treated wood not only helps conserve our forests - each year it saves consumers millions of dollars. Pressure treated wood is used primarily outdoors and has dozens of industrial applications, from docks and marinas to railway ties, utility poles, piling, bridges, highway guardrail posts and even roller coasters. It's used in landscape architecture for erosion control of beaches. Around the home, treated wood is used for decks, fences, gazebos, playground equipment and outdoor lighting fixtures. It may also be used for certain indoor applications where building codes require treated wood. It takes approximately three 45 year old trees to build a backyard deck. You'd like to build a backyard deck. That calls for two or three trees, each at least 45 years old. Working with untreated lumber, you'll need to replace all or part of your deck every few years. But if you build with properly pressure treated lumber, your deck will be strong and attractive for up to 50 years. You'll save thousands of dollars on upkeep, leave many trees uncut - and enjoy your deck that much more! Pressure treated wood is safe to use. At a time of growing environmental awareness, we must have the facts and be able to make informed decisions. It's misleading to talk about safe and unsafe chemicals. There are no safe chemicals - only safe ways of using them. Pressure treated wood is safe when used properly. It should not be used where it may become part of food or animal feed, for example, kitchen countertops. With the exception of incidental contact such as docks and bridges, it shouldn't come in contact with drinking water. All pressure treated wood should be disposed of by ordinary trash collection or burial rather than burned. Detailed information regarding the wise use and handling of pressure treated wood is readily available through the Canadian Institute of Treated Wood. If the preservatives used for pressure treating wood were not toxic, the process wouldn't work! But pressure treated wood is not hazardous to people and animals under its intended conditions of use. Wood preservatives used in Canada meet all the requirements and standards of the Pest Control Products Act administered by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada. The most widely used preservatives in the Canadian pressure treating industry are chromated copper arsenate (CCA) and pentachlorophenol (penta). Two other preservatives in commercial use are ammoniacal copper arsenate (ACA) and creosote. Each has its own specific uses and benefits. Ammoniacal Copper Arsenate (ACA) is an industrial preservative particularly well suited for treatment of our Canadian wood species. It is highly resistant to leaching and will not evaporate. Most ACA-treated wood is destined for industrial uses such as construction lumber and marine timbers and pilings. Creosote, the oldest industrial wood treating preservative, is used mainly for railway ties, marine structures, piling and highway construction. Its oily nature improves the dimensionaly stability of wood reduces checking and splitting. Chromated copper arsenate (CCA) is the most commonly used wood preservative for residential applications. CCA-treated wood is light green in color and weathers to a driftwood grey. It is suitable for decks, gazebos, playground equipment and agricultural stakes, but is also used for utility poles, marinas and wood foundation lumber and plywood. One of the primary active ingredients in CCA is inorganic pentavalent arsenic, a naturally-occurring trace element which is present in soil, water, air, plants and in the tissues of most living creatures - including humans. It's the same type of aresenic found in the food we eat and should not be confused with trivalent arsenic which is more toxic and nver used in the wood treating process. Research has proven CCA treated wood is safe when used properly. Studies conducted in several nations around the world have found no evidence of harmful health effects to people from the installation or use of pressure treated wood structures. Further studies have shown environmental risks from CCA-treated wood are also negligible. The active ingredients of CCA are deposited into wood cells and essentially fixed there, virtually immune to leaching. Indeed, properly impregnated wood retains the preservative in virtually undiminished quantities for decades. That's why pressure treated wood lasts so long. Pentachlorophenol (penta) has been safely used in North America for almost half a century. Penta is widely used for the treatment of utility poles, railway ties, bridge timbers and in fresh water piling. Though much media attention has been given to dioxins, it must be stressed there are many different kinds (75 dioxins in all), with a wide range of toxicity. The compound usually referred to by the media as 'dioxin' is in fact a specific substance called 2,3,7,8 TCDD, which has never been found in pentachlorophenol used for heavy duty wood preservation in Canada. There are many common sources for dioxins including municipal incinerators, coal-fixed utility boilers, forest fires and motor vehicle exhausts. Dioxins do not render pent-treated wood dangerous for use. As a slight amount of the oil carrier used may evaporate, penta-treated wood should not be used for interior applications. Are there alternatives to pressure treated wood? Steel, aluminum, concrete and plastic could be subsituted for certain applications, but this would mean higher costs, far greater energy consumption in the manufacture of these materials, and increased air and water pollution. Often, substitute materials won't even be appropriate - steel, for example, may corrode and concrete may deteriorate in saltwater. It's vital we maintain the integrity of our environment. There will always be trade-offs, but pressure treated wood is still the best option, ecologically and financially. We must act responsibly. Environment Canada and other regulatory bodies have developed a series of recommendation documents in conjunction with the CITW relating to the design and operation or wood preserving facilities. Members of the CITW are committed to producing quality products which preserve and protect our environment. We it to ourselves. And to the future generations. | ||
|
Telephone: 1-877-384-5957
|
