Softwood Forest Products Buyer - January/February 2024

Increase Preserved Wood

Increase Preserved Wood Sales With Sales Staff Training Pressure Treated Wood 101 Want to boost your sales of preservativetreated wood products? You can see more profits by training your sales staff using a host of free tools available today. The preserved wood industry has developed a number of tools that bring that knowledge and training right to your lumberyard or office. These are available at no cost, yet provide solid value that transforms your business from preserved wood order takers to solution providers. These resources range from online training for both preservative-and fire retardant-treated wood products to support guides and publications to smartphone/ Patrick Lumber Company Over 100 Years in Business Est 1915 tablet apps. Each have been fully researched to support all pressure-treated wood produced by Western treating companies. Back to basics Knowing the product is the first step in building sales. Western Wood Preservers Institute (WWPI) has created an eUniversity that covers the basics of how preserved wood and fire-retardant wood products are made, specified and used in construction today. Working with the online education services AEC Daily and Architectural Record’s Continuing Education Center, the eUniversity courses are available 24/7 and can be downloaded for use anytime and anywhere. The courses preserved wood and fire-retardant wood are certified for continuing education credits (CEUs) from more than 20 different organizations, include American Institute of Architects and National Assoc. of Home Builders. At the end of each course is a 10-question quiz to ensure the student fully understands the information. All courses are available as downloadable presentations or as multimedia versions that run on an internet browser, complete with narration and video. Get backup materials Sometimes it’s helpful to have something in hand to guide customers to the proper product. The website PreservedWood.org offers a full technical library of publications and guides that can be printed or downloaded and sent as attachments to emails. Need guidance on what level of treatment is needed for a project? Get the PreserveSpec guide Specifying with AWPA Use Categories. What nails or screws should I use with treated wood? Download the one-page PreserveTech sheet on fasteners. Do I put something on the cut ends of the preserved wood? Print the PreserveTech field treating guide. The online library includes titles showing the environmental friendliness of preserved wood products compared to alternatives such as steel, composites and concrete. The PreserveWise series of publications explains the sustainability of preserved wood and well as science-based Life Cycle Assessments offering comparisons of the environmental impact of common building materials. For fire retardant wood products, there is a similar library at FireResistantWood.org. All titles can be downloaded and printed from any computer, in either color or black and white. In addition to the publication libraries, both websites offers key information on preservatives or fire retardants, uses in construction and supply sources. Be ready for any question Utilize today’s technology to answer any question that might arise with the Treated Wood Guide app. Available for both Apple iOS and Continued on page 68 In high moisture conditions, wood can be subject to attack by insects, microorganisms, and decay fungi. That’s why many builders opt for pressure-treated wood with preservatives to help ensure long-term structural performance by protecting lumber used in a wide range of service conditions. Pressure-treated Southern Pine lumber is an economical and renewable building material well-suited for outdoor use. There are various processes used to protect wood products, including pressure, non-pressure, thermal, nonbiocidal, and fire-retardant treatments. There’s also various preservatives used for each treatment process. The best preservative for any project largely depends upon the product, species, and end-use application. Southern Pine’s unique cellular structure is very open and easily permits the deep penetration of preservatives, rendering the wood useless as a food source for fungi, termites, and micro-organisms. Its superior treatability has made it the preferred species when pressure treatment with wood preservatives is required. Wood Preservative Systems There are three broad classifications of preservatives used to pressure treat wood products: • Waterborne preservatives serve a variety of uses including residential, commercial, marine, agricultural, recreational, and industrial applications. They are most often specified because they are clean in appearance, odorless, paintable. • Creosote preservatives, including creosote/coal tar mixtures, protect railroad ties, marine pilings, and utility poles. • Oilborne preservatives are used primarily for utility crossarms and poles, piling, posts, and glue laminated mass timber. Treated Wood: The Sustainable Option Life Cycle Assessments (LCA) are an essential part of green building because it offers an objective and consistent way to measure the environmental impacts of building materials and assemblies. LCA confirms the environmental and other advantages of wood construction. Study after study in Europe, North America, and elsewhere has shown that wood outperforms other products when considered over its complete life cycle. But how does wood treated with preservatives compare to other building products used for the same application? Members of the Treated Wood Council examined the issue and published a series of life cycle comparisons on a range of treated products, from decking to marine piling. Regardless of the application, analysis shows preservative-treated wood has a lower environmental impact when compared to steel, concrete, or plastic composites. Why? Because wood products require less energy to manufacture – meaning fewer greenhouse gasses, like CO2. And trees use CO2 to grow, changing greenhouse gases into the building blocks we know as wood. That’s why wood products and sustainable working Continued on page 68 DEDICATED TO QUALITY, Find a Culpeper location near you. The Trusted Brand in Pressure Treated Lumber culpeperwood.com POSITIONED TO SERVE BLACKSTONE, VA Page 12 Softwood Forest Products Buyer • January/February 2024 Softwood Forest Products Buyer • January/February 2024 Page 13 LEOLA, PA LANCASTER, MA SHELBYVILLE, IN FRUITLAND, MD ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC COLUMBIA, SC BRANCHVILLE, SC CULPEPER, VA FREDERICKSBURG, VA ATHENS, NY BELCHERTOWN, MA FEDERALSBURG, MD COLERIDGE, NC COVE CITY, NC ORANGEBURG, SC SWEETWATER, TN