Redwood hangs tough against adversaries

forms whitewood in durability, dimensional stability and finish retention.

Q: Uoro roill the redwood industry survive the Endan- gered Species Act, environmental laws limiting logging and California's anti-business state government?

A:I'm an optimistnot a blind optimistbut an optimist. Eventually the public will learn to recognize the difference between radical environmentalism and rational environmentalism. The industry will survive. The question is how many of us will still be here when the pendulum swings the other way? Will we still have our businesses, ourjobs, our homes? It's scant comfort, but these are not problems the redwood industry or eventhe wood industry faces alone. Theseproblems affect any resource-oriented business, community, school, service or business dependent on a resourceoriented business. We have to communicate. We have to develop allies. When we hear someone spouting unfounded rhetoric, we need to call them on it. We need to counter the hysterical, doomsday nonsense with facts.

Q: Wfr", do I tell customers who think buying redwood endangers the environment?

1 NCREASINGLY redwood retailers and wholesalers are I experiencing real concern about availability, price, product performance and misinformation in the media. Many tell us they feel unprepared to handle demands and questions from customers. Here California Redwood Association executive vice president and general manager Christopher Grover responds to their concerns.

Q: no", young growth redwood have the same durability as old growth redwood?

A 3 According to the USDA Forest Products Laboratory in Madison, Wi., old growth redwood heartwood is classified as resistant or very decay resistant. It shares this classification with two other softwood speciesold growth bald cypress and old growth cedar. The greatest proportion of young growth redwood is classified as moderately decay resistant because extractives providing decay resistance are produced over time and thus found in higher concentrations in old growth timber.

Still, young growth redwood is more durable than most other softwood species and is suitable for decking, fencing and siding when proper construction techniques are used. Young growth redwood outper-

A: tt i, i-portant to make the following points very clear: The public owns more than 350,000 acres of prime land in Redwood National Park, federal monuments, state parks, state forests, county and city parls and reserves. Coastal redwood is the most protected commercial softwood species. Redwood that is sold comes from private land.

The redwood industry replants trees promptly as they harvest. It's the law in California, but more than that, it's their land and good business. The industry raises more than 13 million seedlings annually and more than 5 million are redwood.

Redwood is the fastest growing commercial softwood in the nation, the most renewable building material available to us.

Q: Wfry doesn't the CRA take a more active role in lobbying against environmentalists' harvest restrictions and tell the public what we're doing for good forest management?

A! We include a positive environmental message with our product promotion whenever it is appropriate and we publish and distribute information on redwood forests, redwood parks, and the practices of the redwood industry. Our activities in this area have increased as the crisis has ballooned. As defined by.our bylaws, CRA'sprimary activitiesare focusedonproducts rather than forest. CRA's member mills belong to other industry organizations whose primary responsibilities include lobbying and public relations.

Q ! CoutO the CRA develop stories in the media to help wholesalers and retailers explain redwood shortages and higher prices to their customers?

A 3 a,g"irr, this subject is really outside of CRA's charter. It is an area where the newly formed California Forest Products Commission will help. All wood products are threatened. The public needs to be aware that every restriction has hidden costs.

Q: Wn.t do I say to customers who complain that all heart redwood fences have termite damage in five years?

A: ffr" fruartwood of California redwood is one of only a few domestic woods with any significant resistance to termites. Other resistant woods include: the very resinous heartwood of old growth southern yellow pine and the heartwood of eastern red cedar. These rarer woods along with redwood heartwood are termite resistant relative to other woods, they are not termite proof.

Studies conducted at the USDA Forest Service Southern Forest Experiment Station in Gulfport, Ms., indicate that redwood extractives act against termites as stomach poisons. This means like any wood redwood may be attacked by termites. If the termite population is not very large, or if there is another less hostile source of food, the attack is likely to be repelled and the termites will move on.

Q: C"n information on correct finishes and nails be made available to a customer with a label or handout when he purchases redwood? glue bond extremely well and it is an excellent substrate for paint. Both of these characteristics contribute to redwood's highperformance as a finger-jointed product,

A 3 It's vital to get the right finishing and nailing information to customers. It would be great if we could put all that information on a single label attached to the lumber. We 've considered this approach, but there are two problems: labels are too small for all the information and attaching a label discolors the wood.

Instead, CRA and its member mills provide handouts that include information on nails, finishes, grades and other particulars for a given product.

Q: Wfry isn't redwood available with a pre-stain or waterproof finish?

Still, it's just as important to be aware of fingerjointed lumber's characteristics, as it is to be aware of the characteristics of a particular grade. For example, if I were to use a glulam column outdoors, I would paint it, or at least design the project to have end caps that would keep moisture from getting into the end grain of the lumber which could lead to checking. With finger-jointed siding, I'd use a quality oil-based or alkyd-resin based primer and an acrylic latex paint as a topcoat. Such a finish would provide a more uniform appearance and would minimize moisture-related problems.

Q: * there a way to show customers the difference between B grade and Clear grade redwood? They tend tojudge by color.

A: Ay definition. Clear grade allows only two 3/4" knots in occasional pieces (not more than lO% of a shipment). B grade is a downfall grade from Clear grade. Typically, it will have characteristics or defects not permitted in Clear. For example, B grade permits up to five sound, tight knots in pieces 14 feet or longer.

There is no restriction on the amount of sapwood (the cream-colored wood) in either grade mentioned above. If a customer wants a comparable grade without sapwood, they need to order either Clear All Heart grade or B Heart.

Story at a Glance

Answerc to troublesome guestions about redwood availability, environmental impact and performance. information to reassur€ customers and build confadence in redwood.

Q: Will ,fre CRA be stepping up d-i-y promotions such as deck plans in home magazine features?

A3 Our annual CRAlHome Mechanb Deck Design Contest results in deck stories all summer long in this d-iy oriented magazine. We will be working with dozens of other shelter and how-to magazines over the year.

Q: Wfr", can be done to increase the number of long lengths available?

A: ff,ira parties provide this service. Typically lumber is routed through a pre-stainer en route to the job site. a There are also pre-stainers who stock pre-primed red- A: wood trim and sidings.

Q: ^L"" finger-jointed redwood products reliable?

A 3 fir,g"r-lointed lumber products have a long and proven track record for many uses, such as glulams, sfuds, interior finish and exterior siding. Finger-jointed lumber is economical and makes excellent use of the timber resource. Certified Kiln Dried redwood holds a

Certain lengths will always be more popular than others and lumber mills produce both long and short lengths. This creates opportunities to add value to the product. The company that sorts lumber to length can sell standard lengths at a premium.

Short lengths of redwood are ideal for dozens of backyard applications including planters, benches or built-in deck counters. Retailers offering project ideas, plans and a price incentive will see their shorts disappear. Likewise with longer non-standard lengths.