Under Pressure, Hawaiian Treaters Join Forces

Hawaiian wood preserving companies are banding together to battle their mainland competitors' onslaught of criticism and competing products and preservatives.

They have formed the Hawaii Wood Products Association "to compete on an equal footing with the mainland," said association vice president Tad Ogi, Honolulu Wood Treating, Honolulu, Hi.

The group recently filed incorpmation papers and currently has 13 members representing 12 different companies, including neadng plants, chemical suppliers Hickson and Osmose, and inspection agency Timber Products Inspection. Hamilton Ahlo, Osmose Pacific, is secretary/treasurer.

Hawaiian treaters claim the consumer complaints in the termiteplagued islands are due !o "Green and Go," in which bundles of wood appear green on the outside, but afe white and preservative-free inside. They say it's the work of the mainland treaters, trying to give CCA-treated products and local heaters a bad name.

"They put some color on it and ship it over," said Ogi. "People in Hawaii think we are the ones at fault. The association gives us a spokesperson so we can respond as an organization rather than as (a private compa.ny)."

The wood in question is Douglas fir, inherently a difficult species to treat, CCA-treated to mild "Hawaii Use Only" requirements. West Coast treaters admit they will tleat wood to these ninimal requirements if that's what the buyers want, but say the Hawaiian treaters are the ones keeping the inferior procedure around because they don't have the equipment to provide more durable alternatives. The mainland preservers are pushing for use of alternative preservatives, like ACZA or ACQ, or high density incisors, so preservatives penetrate to meet stricter AWPA standards LP 2 andLP22.

"Hawaii Use Only" is the standard that isn't a standard. About 20 years ago, the American Wood Preservers Bureau created a special "Hawaii Use Only" treabnent specifically for material for use in Hawaii.

Accepted by building officials in Hawaii, the treatment for coastal Douglas fir, hemlock and hem-fir re- quires no incising but needs soil Eeabnent and brush coating at the job site.

When AWPB ceased operations at the close of 1992 and transfened its jurisdiction to the American Lumber Standards Committee, ALSC refused to acc€pt the Hawaiian non-standard.

Local treaters, with their operations and equipment geared for treating CCA, saw their "procedure floating around with no owner," said Mike Dilbeck, Timber Products Inspection. He "made a special trip out there to say, firsl we would continue monitoring wood per the Hawaiian Use Only requirements. Second, to stress that we didn't write those procedures and take no responsibility for any failure of the wood products treated under these procedures, including decay, organism and insect attack. And, thfud, we would prefer treated material conform to the industry AWPA standards and would promote any efforts towards that end."

"I can empathize with the treaters," he said. "They've treated it this way over the years and now there's all this competition coming in from the main(Please turn to page 46)

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