_Top 25 Pressure TFeaters

Companies are ranked by production of lumber, limbers and specialty products. Firms exclusively treating poles, pilings, railroad ties, etc., are not included. Abbreviations include NtP (Not for Publication), NA (Not Available), FRT (Fire Retardant Treatment), and WR (Water Repellent).

All information was provided by the companies themselves. While every eflort was made to ensure full accuracy and completeness, several larger treaters elected not to participate in this survey.

Companv

1 t Uniu.rral Forest Products

Grand Rapids, Mi.

-The Editors

Annual Production (miltions M. fr.)

2003

2002 Chanqe

1271 1123.3 +13%

21 olants: Windsor, Co.;Auburndale, Fl.; Moultrie, Union City, Ga.; Granger, Westville, In.; Belchertown, Ma.; Hanisonville, Mo.; Elizabeth City, Salisbury, N.C.; Blanchester, Hamilton, Lodi, Oh.;Gordon, Stockertown, Pa.; New Waverly, Saginaw, Schertz, Silsbee, Tx.; Ranson, W.V.;Janesville, Wi.

Ircalrneds: CCA, ACQ, Borates, FRT, WR, Colorant

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties, Posts lt 1 fisalnenls: CCA, ACO, Borates, FRT, WR

2 Greal Soulhern Wood Preserving NfP NfP +12o/o Abbeville, Al.

7 olants: Abbeville, Mobile, Muscle Shoals, Al.;Sumter County, Fl.; Conyers, Statesboro, Ga.; Columbus, Tx.

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties, Pilings, Posts

3 Georgia-Pacific Corp, 953 905 +5.3% Atlanta, Ga.

9 olants: Montgomery, Louisville, Nauvoo, Athens, Al.; Middleburg, N.C.; Mineola, Tx.; Rick Hill, S.C.; Rockledge, Fl.; Brunswick, Ga.

Treatments: ACQ

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties

TREATERS say the "next generation" preservatives have brought about a need for fastener education always trying to buy commodity{ype material at the lowest possible cost," says Rick Jakmas, president of McArthur Lumber & Post, McArthur, Oh. "Therefore, only a few that felt their marketplace was in tune to the environmental issues voluntarily shifted from CCA to ACQ until the mandate came down that CCA available wood for certain applications would be phased out. Otherwise, they now know that they are working with a more environmentally-friendly product than before and as long as everyone is on a level playing field it doesn't matter."

He continues, "Sales, in fact, may have increased since they are not worrying as much about timing their inventory turnover due to the change in product."

Mike Smith, v.p.-sales for Elder Wood Preserving Co., Mansura, La., has not seen lumberyards buying less because of the price increase.

Bestway's Rockwell is surprised to be seeing higher demand for the product. "The basic chemical costs four times what CCA costs and it takes four times as much chemical to do the same job," she explains. "There is no volume discount on the purchase of the chemical, so the price is higher for all the treaters; therefore, all the retailers are in the same boat as far as pricing goes. All this has not lessened the demand for treated wood. I am busier now than I have every been, so the demand is actually greater."

Bill Hodge, director of marketing at Hoover Treated Wood Products, Thomson, Ga., says the main objection he has heard has been about the increased cost but that dealers are not buying any less because of the price.

Charles D. Lee, owner of Lee Lumber Co., LLC, Centreville, Al., has also listened to dealers complain about the price. "They do not like the prices," Lee explains. "I visited a Home Depot and Lowe's store last night in Birmingham, Al., and they had less treated stock in inventory than I have ever seen before. All the new treatment packs were still in original bands and were unbroken. All the CCA that was left was still selling as usual."

"They have objections to the price and what they think it will do to the market," he adds. "A lot of the dealers that I have talked to are trying to sell untreated lumber in its place. All of my industrial accounts that used treated wood prior to the rule change now use the same product untreated. That is something that the powers that be did not think would be happening, but it's happening every day."

(Continued on page 14)

5 6

7 C.M. Tucker Lumber

Pageland, S.C.

2 plants: Pageland, Henderson, N.C.

Treatments: CCA, ACQ, WR

190.6 NA NA

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties, Posts

10 John A. Biewer Lumber Co.

St. Claire, Mi.

175 260 -33%

5 plants: St. Clair, Lansing, Mi.; Seneca, ll.;Washington Court House, Oh.; Prentice, Wi.

Treatments: CA, FRT, WR

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties, Posts iltcFarland Cascade

Tacoma, Wa.

NfP

5 plants: Tacoma; Sandpoint, ld.; Eugene,0r.; Broken Bow, Ok.; Electric Mills, Ms.

Treatments: CCA, CA, Penta, Creosote, WR

PtOduCh: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties, Pilings, Posts, Cross Ties

8 tz nt*rrtherWoodTreaters 159 151.5 +5%

Washougal, Wa.

5 olants: Washougal, Ferndale, Wa.; Fort Collins, Loveland, Co.; Medford, Or.

Treatments: CCA, ACQ, Borates, ACZA, FRT, WR

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties

Orangeburg, S.C.

NfP165

8 plants: Augusta, Ga.; Orangeburg, Eutawville, North, Sumter, S.C.; Coleridge, Cove City, Leland, N.C.

Trealmenls: CCA, CA, Penta, FRT

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties, Pilings, Posts 10 g no$ins Manulacturing

Tamoa. Fl.

Co.

3 plants: Tampa, FortMeyers, Orlando, Fl.

Treatments: CCA, CA, Borates, WB

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties, Pilings, Posts

Cortland, N.Y.

5 plants: Lancaster, Ma.;Cortland, Gouverneur, N.Y.; Stony Point, N.C.;Cresco, Pa.

Treatmenis: CCA, ACQ, FBT, WR

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties

Conway, S.C.

2 plants: Conway, Camden, S.C.

Treatments: ACQ, WR

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties

1 7 Curt Bean Lumber

1 30 Glenwood, Ar.

3 planls: Glenwood, Amity, Ar.; Buckner, Mo.

Treatments: CCA, CA,WR

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties

Hampton, Va.

1 olant: Hampton

Treatments: ACQ

Products: Lumber, Plywood, Timbers, Specialties

NfP

(Continued lVhit" reactions to the new alternatives have been somewhat mixed, most conversions were completed by the end of January and went smoothly.

Muny treating plants are keeping stocks of CCA for commercial uses. And dealers are still purchasing the nowbanned lumber.

According to Rockwell, dealers looking for CCA can still purchase what is left in the pipeline, and can continue to buy CCA-treated wood for as long as lumber treated last year is still on the ground.

Jakmas feels that those dealers still looking for CCA are doing so for the price.

"If a treating plant still has CCA or treated a lot of wood with CCA and is available for sale," explains Jakmas, "those that can find it can have a short-term materials cost advantage."

Coastal Treated Lumber's Evans provides guidance to his customers still lookine for CCA.

Likewise, Lee Lumber's Lee believes that the new rules of what can be treated with CCA versus ACQ can become confusing.

"We inform our customers what we can treat via the EPA and chemical companies, and that is very little," he says. "But it is hard to explain because the rules are not applied the same way all the time. It is okay to use CCA for the 6x6 on someone's shed or barn, but he cannot use the 6x6 on his deck. How do you answer the customer? It is okay use to CCA in the foundation of a home, but you cannot use it when you get up to the deck or the main floor. How do you explain that?"

"We converted one year ago at Washougal and recently at Colorado in December," says Allweather's Danielson. "The Medford location has been running ACQ for a couple of years. Washougal added ACQ one year ago and continued to produce CCA for commercial purposes. Fort Collins continues [to produce CCA] for roundstock. Loveland converted to ACQ in December."

Jimmy Rane, president and c.e.o. of Great Southern Wood Preserving, Abbeville, Al., believes that pre-planning was the key to successful conversion.

"At Great Southern, we spent more than a year planning our chemical conversion in order to transition with a minimum of disruption," Rane says. "We began the actual conversion process in October with our facility in Conyers, $a., and phased in each of our other facilities in a preplanned process that was completed prior to year end."

Some treaters, such as South East Lumber Co., Kernersville, N.C., used the EPA's ruling as a means to overhaul their operations. "We waited till the last minute to make our conversion decision," explains Reed Hill, manager of South East Lumber. "We've done a complete renovation of our treating plant. We upgraded a lot of different things. We computerized our operation. So it's taken longer than had we just been doing a straight conversion.

"It's absolutely going smoothly," he adds, predicting the business would be up and running by early last month. "We wanted to replace a tremendous amount."

Among the renovations, South East Lumber put in new pressure pumps to help treat lumber more effectively for the lons term.

"u".y conversions went without a hitch, though. Rockwell was frustrated with Bestway's conversion process. "The chemical companies leave a lot for the treating plants to figure out," she says. "Some of the systems they had us install still do not work properly. We have had to figure out a lot of things ourselves."

Intense preparation wasn't enough. "Even with one year of research and six months of planning," Rockwell explains, "it was an ordeal I do not want to go through again. Everything copper, brass, bronze and aluminum had to be replaced with stainless steel. All rubber seals, gaskets and such from every pump, motor and valve had to be replaced by ceramic or EPDM materials. We basically had to tear our plant apart and rebuild it, right down to the smallest 'O' ring. It was extremely expensive."

This sentiment is echoed by Lee. He, too, found it very expensive and decided against converting his plant.

Whu, is clear is that there are still many questions to be answered even as the treating plants get used to the new preserving alternatives. But many feel that this is not the end; it's only the beginning and that future treatments are on the horizon.

According to Frank D. James III, president of DeForest Wood Products, Bolton, Ms., several chemical manufacturers are already diligently working on new lumber treatments.

Similarly, McArthur Lumber's Jakmas speculates: "I do believe that another chemical to replace ACQ or copper azole is probably already in development at one of the major wood treatment chemical manufacturers. They have all been working on new, more friendly formulas for a long time and, until the EPA forced the timing issue, would have continued. However, they were all forced to back either ACQ or copper azole to satisfy growing EPA and public concerns."

Within five years, David Babb, manager of treated sales at Babb Lumber Co., Ringgold, Ga., thinks rhere will be additional preservative offerings on the market.

"The ACQ is already going through some significant changes in an effort to reduce its corrosion issues with hardware," notes Babb. "Borates are also becoming more widely used in weather-protected applications because it is a less costly alternative to the new generation of copperbased preservatives."

Brian Hayson, president and general manager of Cox Wood Preserving, Orangesburg, S.C., agrees. He thinks that in the foreseeable future treaters will be using different preservatives and methods of preserving wood.

Some treaters are pessimistic about additional preservatives, though. Hoover's Hodge does not see any new treatments coming out in the near future.

Rockwell says she would welcome the change because "right now there are three chemical companies, but only two viable chemicals to choose from, creating a monopoly if you still want to be in the wood preserving business. A lot of treaters went out of business because thev could not afford the conversion costs."

As one of those critics who is holding out hope for a more affordable solution, Lee predicts: "Yes, we will see a new product because this one will not last in the marketplace and not many small or large treating plants are going to last at these prices."

Rank '03 '02