Southern pine weathers tough market

A MERICA'S recession is more .Cl,than a year old, creating the roughest downturn for construction markets ever recorded. Until a recovery is in sight, resourceful lumber dealers are finding the means to stay ahead even in such a depressed market.

It pays to remember that the best products are not necessarily the newest. Southern pine lumber has been a building staple since settlers first milled logs for homes and shipbuilding in Jamesrown. Virginia. 400 years ago. In fact, historical accounts show that specialists in sawmilling were among the earliest recruits sought by Jamestown's leaders.

The inherent features that made southern pine a key player in our nation's colonial days continue to make it a wise choice today. Southern pine is plentiful, durable and renewable. Altogether, that makes it one of the most sensible, environmentally friendly building products on the market.

Some 90 billion bd. ft. of southern pine was produced from 2003 throush 2007. A third is used in srrucru;l products such as dimension lumber and trusses. Half goes into treated lumber products for residential applications like decks, fences and gazebos and aquatic and marine structures. The rest is used for flooring, specialty patterns, and industrial applications like pallets and crates.

A Grade for Every Purlose

When it comes to residential construction, southern pine can be used for everything from building concrete forms to creating beautiful interior floors and ceilings. Lower grades may be appropriate for certain uses where appearance is not a high priority. But when people's homes are involved, the contractor and consumer may both be better satisfied with higher-grade lumber for many applications. And recent changes in the International Building Code allow large multifamily buildings of up to six stories to be framed in wood compared to a limit of three stories in the past. Again, the proper grade counts when using southern pine in any application. The Southern Pine Council-a joint effort of the Southern Forest Products Association and Southeastern Lumber Manufacturers Associationoffers a number of tools to help dealers, architects, specifiers, contractors and other professionals make sure they have the right grade for the job. The place to start is the "southern Pine Use Guide," which includes srade descriptions. standard sizes. seas-oning requirements, design values and span tables. Separate publications are also available for maximum spans for joists and rafters, headers and beams, and structural components. SPC's pocket span card-a popular item for builders in the field-has been updated, and a free copy is available upon request. All titles are available online in the publications section of www.southernpine.com.

Pressure Tleated to Last

The unique cellular structure of southern pine permits deep, uniform penetration of preservatives without incising, making it a preferred species for pressure treatment. In fact, some 85Vo of all pressure treated wood produced in the U.S. is southern pine. Treated southern pine is popular for outdoor living applications like decks and gazebos, plus marine applications such as fishing piers, bridges and