Southern pin for wester

1!r OUTHERN PINE lumber is t) being shipped to states as far west as California and Oregonincredible, but true.

The westward movement is beginning with pressure treated southern pine, which in the opinion of some outperforms any pressure treated western species. Builders of playground equipment and roller coasters were familiar with the advantages of pressure treated southern pine from their projects on the East Coast and in the South. When they built projects in the West, they specified pressure treated southern pine. One thing led to another and now many companies producing and selling southern pine are actively pursuing the western market.

Curt Bean Lumber Co., which pressure treats southern pine at its Glenwood, Ar., plant, trucked several loads of material to Valencia, Ca., for use in building the Viper, an $8 million megacoaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain amusement park. Bean also frequently provides a playground equipment builder with treated southern pine with much of it being used in the west.

A panelized deck construction system using pressure treated southern pine recently penetrated the west coast outdoor market. Its manufacturer, Nu-Lines, Inc., Tyler, Tx., considers the product a challenger to the traditional redwood and cedar decks. Featuring a series of24" x24" squares, the modules lock into a 2x4 southern pine joist frame 24" o.c. with barbed metal hardware similar to truss gusset plates.

Portland, Or., specifiers turned out in force to examine the first installation of the product in the northwest. Jim Hardcastle, American International Forest Products, redesigned the backyard of his Lake Oswego (a Portland suburb) home with an I 8 ft. hexagonal sun deck and an l8 ft. conversation deck with a stone fire pit. The entire structure including stepping and folding benches was constructed with Nu-Lines' Fast Deck Panel.