Can redwood hold its share of the market?

AlfgouGH redwood is firmly enFltrenched in the market, queries often arise about its reliability and performance. Presenting questions gleaned in our reporting, including some tough ones about competing species, The Merchant asked Keith Lanning, executive vice president and general manager of the California Redwood Association to clarify redwood's position today.

QUESTION: Which wood presents the most competition to redwood in the Western States?

ANSWER: Western red cedar is just about the only readily available wood which has characteristics comparable to redwood. We compete with exterior siding, interior paneling and outdoor living markets. Treated lumber offers some competition in the outdoor living market.

Q: How do you plan to meet this challenge?

A: The competition between redwood and cedar is nothing new. We've been meeting the challenge ever since we've been in business. Up to now, we've been competing with our clear architectural grades. There are two newly developed products available which will make redwood more competitive than ever: B grade and the rustic sidings. B grade redwood is a new grade with limited amounts of small, tight knots, graded on one face. Rustic sidings come from second growth trees which produce smaller, sounder knots than the old growth trees. In regard to treated lumber, we plan to continue pointing out the fact that chemical treatment affects only durability and color of whitewood lumber; it will not change inherent characteristics of the species.

Q: What sort of marketing campaign are you conducting?

A: The member mills of CRA (Georgia-Pacific, Harwood, Miller, The Pacific Lumber Co., Simpson Timber Co.) fund us to promote redwood on a national basis. Advertising and publicity appear in magazine and newspapers, zeroing in on important lumber buyers and specifiers-architects, builders and consumers.Redwood's image as a desirable, high-quality product has made it a strong seller to the custom home market.

Q: Obviously, you are committed to redwood; specifically, how is it superior to competing species?

A: In terms of beauty, redwood speaks for itself. I don't think there is another softwood that can rival redwood in this area. If you want me to compare redwood's performance with the treated species, I have to say the comparison is mutually difficult. On one hand you have redwood's natural durability versus treated lumber, and on the other you have to compare treated lumber's stability, shrinkage, pitch content and general appearance with redwood. I think it's an "apples and oranges" comparison where both products have specific qualities which recommend them to certain applications.

Q: How would you persuade a customer that redwood is worth extra money?

A: I imagine you can sell almost anyone a product once. Repeat business and word-of-mouth sales are harder to maintain, but these are what make a product and a retailer successful. With redwood's tradition of longJasting performance, we find that satisfied users are often our strongest salesmen. Architects are known for being among the most critical customers, yet redwood is a favorite with architects. In short. redwood is worth the extra money because there is no other wood like it.

Keith Lanning Executive Vice President & General Manager California Redwood Association

Q: What competition does pressure treated hem-fir, Douglas fir, Ponderosa pine offer?

A: Pressure treated lumber does offer competition in a few limited areas. It is limited by the nature of the species treated, by the applications and by the market itself. As you know, different species accept treatment more readily than others just as some treatment processes are more effective than others. It's not possible to tell by visual inspection whether a piece of wood has been properly treated. It's much easier to tell whether a piece of redwood is all rot-resistant heartwood. Treatment doesn't change the quality or grade of the lumber. There are applications where pressure treated lumber is the ideal choice. but there are many highly visual applications where redwood will still be the first choice.

Q: Can redwood really outperform pressure treated lumber?

A: If you are talking only about durability, I'd have to say probably not. On the other hand, if you want to talk about the appearance of siding or a deck surface over an extended period of time, I'd say yes, redwood will outperform pressure treated lumber. Redwood will hold up better with less shrinkage, cupping, checking and warping than most of the grades and species treated. It won't bleed with pitch like some woods, and it