Timber Products Letter to the Treated Wood Industry

Timber Products clarifies their report used by Viance attempting to discredit micronized copper treated wood.


TIMBER PRODUCTS INSPECTION

TO: Interested Parties in the Treated Wood Industry
FROM: Timber Products Inspection, Inc. (“TP”)
DATE: February 12, 2009
RE: TP January 21, 2009 4x4 Inspection Report

As you know, information was released earlier this week regarding tests that were performed on certain posts treated with a micronized copper quaternary preservative (“MCQ”). Those tests were performed by TP, at the request of Viance, LLC (“Viance”). Since the release of the inspection report relating to those posts (the “Report”) and the accompanying Viance press release, TP has received inquiries from various parties regarding the nature of the tests and the implications of the results. The purpose of this memorandum is to answer questions that have been posed to TP and to note certain limitations of the report.

TP Tested Only the Posts that Viance Directed TP to Test

With respect to the posts that TP tested, TP was involved from the time the posts were extracted. However, TP was not directed to, and thus did not, identify a random sampling of posts treated with MCQ for testing. The location of the posts that were included in the testing occurred prior to TP’s involvement. Thus, the posts described in the Report should not necessarily be viewed as a representative sample of MCQ posts in use at this time in the United States. There is a Subjective Element to the Grading Reflected on the Report. Since the release of the Report, TP has received a number of questions regarding the specifics of the grading used in the Report. The Report includes a description of what each number on the scale indicates. TP personnel used those descriptions in assigning numerical values to the samples. Thus, although the grades in the Report were assigned by highly-trained and experienced personnel, it is possible that other colleagues would have assigned slightly different values to the tested samples.

No Comparable Study for Other Preservatives

TP has been asked whether a study exists that examines the effectiveness of preservatives other than MCQ after a period of time in the field. TP is aware of no such study.

TP’s Role as an Independent Inspection Agency

TP is an independent inspection agency that is retained by various parties within the treated wood industry to perform tests in accordance with AWPA and ICC standards. In this case, TP was retained by Viance. TP is not an advocate for producers of any particular type of preservative.

TP believes it is in the public interest that the Report is now in the public domain and is being discussed within the industry. The findings in the Report provide a logical basis for additional investigation. However, TP’s objective in releasing this memorandum is to provide clarifying and limiting information regarding the Report, in hopes that such information will preclude interested parties from using the Report to make generalizations that may not be supported by the Report.

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