C&E Lumtrer Company

Logging Ruling Reversed

A federal appellate court decision has revived a challenge to the Clinton Administration's Northwest logging restrictions.

The U.S. Court of Appeals reversed a Portland, Or., district court judge's ruling that a suit filed by the Northwestern Forest Resources Council in 1994 could not proceed in his court.

The move opens the gate for another lawsuit by the timber industry against logging restrictions in the N6rthwest, which itself could spur new lawsuits from environmentalists.

Bomb Scare Clears Store

Home Depot, Whittier, Ca., was evacuated recently after an employee found a suspicious object, made to look like a bomb, in an aisle.

The bomb squad determined that the device, equipped with a pipe, wiring, batteries and LED light, was not explosive.

Windows From Outer Space

NASA scientists are experimenting in space to produce a transparent form of the lightest solid material known so it can be used for windows and other products.

Only three times the density of air, a block of Aerogel the size of a human weighs less than a pound, but would support half a ton.

When produced on the ground, the foam-like material has a hazy appearance, earning it the nickname "frozen smoke." But Aerogel made at low gravity appears to have an altered, clearer microstructure.

Researchers are preparing for the January launch of Space Shuttle Discovery, on which Aerogel can be tested with longer exposure to microgravity.

Imagine: a l"-thick Aerogel window has the same insulation value as l5 panes of glass and trapped air, meaning a conventional window would have to be 10" thick to equal a l "-thick Aerogel window.

Flooded Store Goes Under

Grossman's, which plans to file for bankruptcy protection in early April, is permanently closing its flood-decimated Contractors' Warehouse in Sparks, Nv.

The store, after losing at least $1.6 million in inventory (see flood story, Feb., p. 8), was temporarily reopened to sell the remaining inventory.

...had

High-Densitg fncisqd Coastal Douglas Fir fteated with CCA (Wolminized@) to meet indistrg specifications.

Bg the onlgcompang that has figured out how fo do it right.

Several wood preservers have unsuccessfully attempted to consistently treat Coastal Douglas Fir with CCA to required retentions. Only Pacific Wood PreservinSl has the right combination of equipment, know-how, people and commitment to make it work. We have been successfully treating high-density incised Coastal Dou$las tr'ir to required retentions since f 99e. If you would like to simplify your life by stockiryl our odorless and attractive CCA Ollolmanized@) treated lumber, please call Pacific Wood Preserving! at 805-866-0429 (Calif.; or 520-466-?80l (Arizona) fora brochure and complete information packet. High-density incised Coastal Douglas Fir lumber 4 " or less in thickness can be treated to meet or exceed AT/\rPA Standard CB for CCA treated lumber with retentions of .e5, .4O or .60 (commonly referred to as .e5 LP-e or .4O LP-ee).

Does CCA treated wood last too long?

In millions of applications, CCA treated wood has proven safe and effective for over 65 years. But is CCA too effective?

For years, retailers have handed out Consumer Information Sheets that set forth guidelines for safe use and disposal of treated wood, including that it should not be burned. One small-circulation environmental publication, Environmental Building News, is concerned that, as more and more CCA treated wood nears the end of its 30- to 50-year lifespan, the waste might be landfilled or incinerated.

Their solution is to gradually phase out CCA in favor of more expensive alternatives, such as the three major wood preserving chemical manufacturers' copper-based preservatives.

"Certainly, a phase out could happen," suggests CSI's Jim Saur. "But, remember, this is not an emergency situation. The treating industry has long worked on disposal methods and possible reuse. American Wood Preservers Association even has a special committee (S-3)."

The American Wood Preservers

Institute says that the treating industry for years has sought alternative preservatives, considered disposal alternatives, and funded scientific research on preservative reclamation. Recycling options now being researched include pulping the wood or using the fiber in inorganic binders to form sheetrock-like material which won't be incinerated but rather remain indefinitely stable in landfills.

Switching to less effective chemicals could, in fact, have environmentally unftiendly consequences. Copper-based preservative-treated wood would have a shorter useful life, meaning more trees would have to be cut and landfills would fill up quicker, explains AWPI.

"Around the world there are about 16 or so other preservatives being used," says Huck DeVenzio, Hickson Corp. "CCA, because of its longevity and affordability, is the best available preservative for most of the ways we use treated wood in the U.S. If CCA were phased out, end users would suffer the most. Dealers and purchasers would have to pay more money for products that would not last as long."

AWPI contends that a phase out is not the answer to disposal concerns.

"If a 'magic' preservative or simple solution existed, we would all adopt it today, but none exists," says AWPI president and ceo Gene S. Bartlow. "There are no risk-free alternatives to pressure treated wood products."

Aging Homes Need Facelifts

The nation's aging housing stock will strengthen the remodeling indusrry to $125 billion this year, predicts the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.

NARI estimates there are 24 million houses in the U.S. between 16 and 25 years old, and 61.1 million homes over 25 years old, prime candidates for remodeling.

Big 100th For Housewares

More than 61,000 visitors, including more than 17,000 buyers, attended the recent 100th annual International Housewares Show in Chicago, Il. Sponsored by the National Housewares Manufacturers Association, the 885,000-sq. ft. centennial show featured 2.080 exhibitors.

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