California's Anti-Treated Wood Bill Dies

A bill that would ban the manufacture, distribution, sale and use of wood with any arsenical-based preservative for any purpose within the state of California apparently has died-at least in its original form.

Introduced in February by California State Senator Gloria Romero, SB 1393 did not receive final approval from the California Legislature before its latest session ended August 30.

"In light of the fact that her treated wood bill wasn't going to get out of the State Assembly, where it now is, Senator Romero gave the bill number to another State Senator for use in an unrelated matter," said Mel Pine, director of communications and state government relations for the American Wood Preservers Institute. "So

Depot Works To Please BBB

Home Depot is working to rejoin the Atlanta. Ga.. Better Business Bureau after the agency suspended the retailer July 30 for not responding to 110 customer complaints.

BBB's executive committee met Aug. 8 to review Depot's case. "We're waiting for them to respond'to all the pending complaints before we reinstate the membership," said Dean Smith, BBB president and c.e.o.

Smith added: "This is not the first time their membership has been jeopardized. We had met with them this past year and thought we had it all worked out. It's not the kind of image I'm sure they want to have."

Depot officials claim the unanswered complaints were an administrative error, explaining names on BBB complaints didn't match information the chain had. According to spokesman Don Harrison, the suspension "is not something we took lightly. Customer service is the holiest of holies for us at Home Depot. We took the BBB's list of customer concerns. measured them against our own, and found they did not match up. It did come as a surprise."

Smith credits the chain with working feverishly to resolve the complaints since the suspension.

Most of the complaints, some dating back as far as April, are customer service issues.

According to BBB's Web site, during its suspension, Depot was listed as having an "unsatisfactory record" and was not listed as a member.

SBl393 may come out of the Legislature, but it won't be about treated wood."

Many in the treated wood industry labored for months with the Treated Wood Council's California lobbyist, Kathryn Lynch; J.H. Baxter's lobbyist, Jerry McFetridge, and-when the bill widened-the Penta Council lobbyist, Jim Mattesich, to make the California Administration and legislators aware of the difficulties and costs of the bill.

The bill took several different forms as it made its way through the legislative process. "In the end," says

Pine, "it died primarily because many in government realized the large unnecessary costs of removing some wooden playgrounds around the state, and we're told that Senator Romero didn't want a bill without a provision for the removal of playgrounds."

He added: "Unfortunately, however, the bill opened some questions about the basis for the long-standing disposal practices for treated wood in Califomia, and the industry will continue working with Cal EPA and possibly with the next Legislature in an attempt to ensure the continuation of reasonable disposal practices."

Jeff Qualle is new to sales and marketing at Thunderbolt Wood Treating, Riverbank, Ca.

Roger Clark, ex-Willamette Industries. is a new sales representalive at McKenzie Forest Products, Springfield, Or.

Jim Krauseneck, Weyerhaeuser Co., has been promoted to area general mgr. for California and Nevada, based out of Sacramento. Ca.

Marty De La Cruz, Brad lrvine, Gary Weller and Kevin P. Kelley have joined the staff at Valencia Lumber, Valencia, Ca.

Ona Castillo, ex-Sierra Lumber, is new to inside sales at Redwood Empire, Morgan Hill, Ca.

Mike Blair, ex-Boise Cascade, is a new trader at US Timber Co.. Eagle,Id.

Mike Anderson, ex-Timber Products, is a new trader at Centurion Lumber Manufacturing's Eugene, Or., sales office.

Dan Barnett has been promoted to v.p.-sales and marketing at Honolulu Wood Treating Co., Honolulu, Hi. Gary Okimoto is now sales mgr.

Al Clough has joined the sales and marketing staff at Boulder Lumber Co.. Boulder. Co.

Ed Moroz is now the plywood sales and marketing mgr. at Fourply, Grants Pass, Or.

Duane McDougall, ex-Willamette Industries, has been elected a director of lift truck accessory manufacturer Cascade Corp., Portland, Or. He also serves on the board of North Pacific Lumber, Portland.

Eva Chop, ex-Medallion Millwork and Ostermann & Scheiwe USA, has joined the sales team at Setzer Forest Products, Sacramento, Ca.

Craig Young, ex-James Hardie Building Products, is the new Northern California territory mgr. for Azer Trimboards.

Jon Root, ex-Hall Forest Products, is the new accounts mgr. for Cascade Capital, Tacoma, Wa.

Troy Bailey is new to GeorgiaPacific's Denver, Co., sales office.

Rock Schaffer, ex-Trussway Associates, has joined the Phoenix, Az., office of Double G Forest Products.

Tom Clow has returned to plywood sales at U.S. Forest Industries, Grants Pass, Or.

George Finkenstaedt, ex-Wickes, has joined Lanoga Corp., Redmond, Wa., as v.p.-market development.

Mike Carey, ex-Louisiana-Pacific, has joined the sales staff of Sierra Pacific Industries, Redding, Ca.

Gail Overgard is the new v.p.-international division at Timber Products Co., Springfield, Or.

Gene Secco has stayed on as general mgr. of the Lake Oswego, Or., yard acquired from Tualatin Valley Builders Supply by Pacific Lumber. Hillsboro. Or.

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Michael O'Connor has been elected president of Pacific Steel and Supply, San Leandro, Ca. Ronald E. O'Conner will remain c.e.o. and chairman of the board until his retirement in February.

Ken Womack has left PrimeSource, Fairfield, Ca., after l9 years and Don Getts has left the company after l5 years.

Grant Wheeler, Westwood Lumber Co., Saginaw, Or., was appointed to the Western Hardwood Association board of directors, completing the unexpired term of Scott Lilley.

Bruce Abel, Don Abel Building Supply, Juneau, Ak., hosted participants in the Northwestern Lumber Association's 2002 mlIl tour at his lumberyard last month.

Eric Peterson has been promoted to president of Home Depot's Northwest Division, Seattle, Wa., replacing Troy Rice. Rice will become senior v.p.-operations, succeeding executive v.p. Larry Mercer, who will assist chairman and c.e.o. Robert Nardelli in an advisory position until February 2004.

Bill Gates, chairman, Microsoft Corp., recently acquired 1 million shares of Home Depot stock valued at $36.7 million.

Judith Harrison, principal and senior consultant, Judith Harrison & Associates, has been appointed to the TruServ board of directors.

Cindy Kile, ex-California Hardware, is new to Distribution America as chief financial officer.

Lonnie Woodlief, Economy Lumber Co., Campbell, Ca., vacationed with his family last month for 10 days in Hawaii.

Marcie Knips, human resources mgr., Home Depot, Sherwood, Or., recently wed Portland, Or., Depot employee Brian Barnhart.

Nick and Amanda Nagle, Great Western Transportation, San Bernardino, Ca., wish to thank the employees of Weyerhaeuser Building Materials, Fontana, Ca., for sponsoring a blood drive Aug. 8 for their newborn son, Hunter.

Rich Woods is a new fine hardwoods specialist at Mungus-Fungus Forest Products, Climax, Nv., report co-owners Hugh Mungus and Freddy Fungus.

Depot Hunts For No. Ca. DC

Home Depot is scouting Greater Sacramento, Ca.. for a site to build a 120,000- to 180,000-sq. ft. lumber distribution center.

The chain wants to lease or buy 10 to 15 acres in a large industrial area near a freeway and a railroad. The facility would serve 50 to 60 stores in Northern California and supplement Depot's 180,000-sq. ft. DC in Fremont, Ca.

Home Depot had placed a deposit on a 158,000-sq. ft. building with rail access in Rocklin, Ca., but decided the site was too small, too far north of Sacramento, and in general did not fit its needs.

New Facility Replaces Smaller Yards

Keith Brown Building Materials will open a regional contractor service center and yard next month at the former Copeland Lumber site in Lindsay, Ca.

The facility will replace the company's Exeter yard, which was destroyed by a suspected arsonist in July, and a smaller yard in Porterville, which will close in October.

"We are extremely excited about this new facility in Lindsay," says Keith Brown president Jim Coon. "The updated buildings and larger lumber yard allow us to expand our range ofproducts and display them properly for our customers-the professional builders, remodelers and do-it-yourselfers."

The new 5-acre facility features 5,000-sq. ft. retail store, a 96'x150' warehouse, and an additional 80'x80' building.

The new facility will be managed by Jeny Kramlich, who has managed the Exeter yard for the last 17 years. Porterville manager Jim Smith will become the new Lindsay yard's contractor sales account manager.

The historic Exeter yard, which for years was operated by Copeland Lumber, was destroyed by fire July 19. It suffered damages close to $1.5 million in lumber, buildings, vehicles and equipment.

Kramlich suspects arson. Tulare County Fire Department captain Mike Weger said preliminary evidence was not conclusive. "I found a few things I'm going look at," he said.

The fire began in the early hours of the morning, eventually drawing in nine fire engines and 100 mostly volunteer firefighters.

The blaze destroyed two metal lumber storage buildings as well as the main hardware store buildins that dates back to the 1920s.

Kramlich said the fire did spare two buildings on the property, in addition to $l million in building materials that were stored out in the open.

Employees at the Exeter yard were temporarily relocated to Keith Brown locations in Woodlake, Dinuba, and Porterville.

Based in Salem, Or., the chain operates 21 branches in Oregon, Washington and California, including nine in California's Central Valley region.

L-P Swaps Mills With G-P

Louisiana-Pacific Corp., Portland, Or., has agreed to trade five panel mills in Texas and Louisiana for GeorgiaPacific Corp.'s OSB mill in Woodland, Me., and other unspecified considerations.

G-P will take over L-P's MDF plant in Urania, La., and plywood mills in Urania; Logansport, La.; Bon Wier, Tx., and Cleveland, Tx.

L-P anticipates the transaction will close in mid-to-late September, pending the completion of due diligence.

In May, L-P announced it would exit the plywood business as part of an asset sale and debt reduction program to concentrate its energies on OSB, composite wood products, and engineered wood (see June, p.20).

"This is another step in the execution of our divestiture program," said L-P chairman and chief executive officer Mark Suwyn. "These mills will benefit from the plywood manufacturing experience of Georgia-Pacific and the exchange moves us closer to completing our program, allowing us to fully focus our attention and resources on our ongoing businesses."

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Canadian Duty Talks Restart

Negotiations were expected to slowly resume late last month in the trade battle between the U.S. and Canada for the first time since Washington imposed tariffs on Canadian softwood imports.

A U.S. trade delegation was set to meet British Columbia representatives by the end of August. The meetings were described as "preliminary," with the sides reviewing the status of negotiations when talks broke down in March in the dispute over whether Canada subsidizes its lumber manufacturers.

In May, the U.S. imposed 27% duties on Canadian softwood lumber. In July, the World Trade Organization backed the basic U.S. argument over subsidies, but said the U.S. Commerce Department used the wrong method for calculating the duties.

Experts Confirm CCA Safety

The Florida Physicians Arsenic Workgroup, a panel of six physicians appointed last year by the Florida Department of Health, has concluded that "the amount of arsenic that could be absorbed from playground soil and

CCA treated wood is not significant compared to natural sources and will not result in detectable arsenic intake."

The physicians concluded that CCA in wood playsets would not harm children or adults.

They also agreed with the EPA's recommendation that existing CCAtreated wood structures not be replaced or removed.

"After a year spent reviewing all aspects of CCA treated wood, this expert panel of doctors came to a simple conclusion: CCA treated wood is safe for use in playsets," said Parker Brugge, executive director of the Treated Wood Council and president of the American Wood Preservers Institute. "Treated wood has been used safely for nearly 70 years. Based on this report, parents can be assured that children can safely play on recreational equipment made of preserved wood."

The panel extensively reviewed medical literature concerning the toxicity and carcinogenicity of arsenic, its environmental and natural occurrence, bioaccessibility and bioavailability, and past medical uses. Their report is available at www.preservedwood.com.

No Expansion For Roadside

Roadside Lumber, Agoura Hills, Ca., recently had its plans for expansion nixed by the city council.

Roadside owner Michael Tuchman had hoped to expand the business onto the former L.A. County library property next to his yard, which he had bought for $l million.

In a three-to-two vote, the members of the council voted against Roadside's plan stating that it was not in keeping with the city's desire to create a pedestrian-friendly community center along Agoura Road.

Tuchman had hoped to remodel the old library building and use it as a wholesale hardware, kitchen, and bath showroom.

City observers note that some in Agoura Hills are looking to transform the area where Roadside sits to more "upscale" uses.

"They're hoping we'11 leave," said Tuchman. "We've been here for 27 years as a family-run business, and I'll hand it over to other generations of my family."

For the time being, Tuchman will lease the library building out and continue Roadside operations without any further changes.

Weyco Trims EWP ln Oregon

In its latest cost-cutting move. Weyerhaeuser Co. will close its laminated veneer lumber plant in Winston, Or., by the end of the month.

The facility, located near Roseburg, was acquired earlier this year in the Willamette Industries purchase and is the smallest of Weyerhaeuser's LVL facilities.

The closure will result in 37 layoffs. The company also plans to eliminate 25 of 313 jobs at its TrusJoist plant in Eugene, Or., and 25 of 155 positions at its TrusJoist facility in Junction City, Or.

Weyerhaeuser remains Oregon's largest engineered wood producer, with facilities in Albany, Eugene, Junction City, Hillsboro, Stayton and Vaughn employing approximately 800 people.

New Start For Fresno Ace

After being closed for five months, J&J Service/Ace Hardware. Fresno. Ca., has reopened in a new Fresno location and under a new name.

The new store, Jake & John's Ace Hardware and Kitchen Design Center, opened the first of this month in the historic Tower District.

The new location moved into the 21,000-sq. ft. former Heilig-Meyers furniture store that had been vacant for the last two years.

According to owner Leonard Kizirian, the hardware store closed this past spring because of Central Valley's troubled farm economy and the realignment of a local highway that had drained away customers.

"If there was ever a decision that caused me more grief and heartache, it was closing that store," said Kizirian.

One of the highlights of the new store will be the Kitchen Design Center, which is expected to be completed in December. Kizirian says it will feature a mock kitchen to help customers envision their design choices.

In addition, the new location features hardware, equipment rentals, a garden center, paint and building supplies.

The store employs 14 people and will be based upon individual customer service according to Kizirian.

"Young people think service is having someone point you in the direction of the store aisle," Kizirian said. "But that's not what we do here. We'll make sure customers find exactly what they are looking for."

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Home Builders Stick With Glulams

Has engineered wood demand become almost immune to variations in the price of lumber?

According to some dealers, glulams are steadily increasing their marketshare even when lumber prices decrease. This is in contrast to the "old days" when builders used laminated beams when dimension prices were high and reverted back to stick-built framing when lumber prices declined.

That's the report from Roberts & Dybdahl Inc., one of the nation's largest wholesalers of lumber, glulams and other engineered wood. According to EWp sales and design manager Carl Seidler, many of Roberts & Dybdahl's pro dealer accounts have converted their builders from 2x lumber framing to the high strength Anthony glulam power Beam-for good.

"Today's lumber customers often don't .bounce back' to lumber framing when 2xl0s drop $30 per thousand," Seidler says. He compares it to a carpenter who won't go back to a hammer after he has tried a nail eun.

Golden State Lumber, with five locitions in the San Francisco Bay area, is a major supplier of glulams and also conducts product knowledge breakfasts and clinics for builders in their trade area.

Moshia Smith, outside sales specialist for Golden State, says the glulams are increasing market share because of their competitive cost, nominal sizes, stability and appearance. "Builders have confidence that kiln-dried power Behms will remain straight, and they won't have call-backs because of shrinkage in some long-span header over a large entrance door or garage door," Smith says.

Smith visits job sites on a daily basis to provide engi- neering support for engineered wood and other products. "As a serviceoriented dealer, we spend a lot of time in the field to stay in touch with our builder customers. These contacts are getting to be more important as the market becomes more competitive," he says.

Tom Bacon, South City Lumber, South San Francisco. Ca.. says glulams have gained market share because of their quality and availability. "We can get delivery of Power Beams from our distributor on a daily basis, but other ensineered wood products such as parallel strand lumber and laminated veneer lumber are delivered twice a week," he notes.

Bacon says engineered wood was a new development three or four years ago, but is now familiar to almost all builders and framers in his market. He notes that glulams another engineered wood are so widely used that product information clinics and builder seminars aren't needed as often as they were in the past, but South City Lumber still conducts internal training sessions for their employees.

Old-Time Store Expands

One California hardware store has found that expansion along with old fashioned hardware store charm are the keys to surviving big box competition.

Hank Hornsveld, owner, Hank's Hardware, Temecula, says that he does not believe in advertising, pointof-sale cash registers or even taking inventory, believing instead that all customers really want is to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible.

In addition, Hornsveld has begun a $1.7 million expansion that will add 55,000-sq. ft., allowing Hank's to sell moulding and doors.

Loyal customers say that the Product selection and convenience are what sets Hank's apart from Lowe's and Home Depot.

Temecula resident Alan Dunn points out that shopping at Hank's is like going to 7-Eleven instead of a supermarket.

In addition Hank's gets referrals from the big boxes because of its reputation for carrying hard-to-find items.

"Our philosophy is simple," saYS Hornsveld. "We offer unique product selection and good service."

Hornsveld operates a second hardware store in Fallbrook, Ca.

Ochoco Now Trading Lumber

Ochoco Lumber Co., Prineville, Or., has launched a wholesale trading operation it hopes will somedaY account for a quarter of the comPany's revenues.

The new operation, Ochocho International Trading Co., is made up of former Louisiana-Pacific traders Teny Simpson, Matt Dierdorff, Dan McGraw and Craig Cookingham.

The four-man team moves Pine from Canada. Chile, New Zealand into cut-stock shops that make doors, window sashes and moulding in Central Oregon, California and ldaho.

"This will expand the base of our company," said president Bruce Daucsavage, who estimates the operation will bring in $20 million after moving 40 million bd. ft.

Ochoco Lumber Co. currentlY imports much of its lumber for milling from Eastern Europe, South America and Canada. The company is also looking to import pine from New Zealand.

Along with the opportunity, the company admits that it also is taking a risk as it enters an arena dominated by industry powerhouses GeorgiaPacific, International Paper and Forest City Trading, Portland, Or.

Talk About Trees Gets BusY

Talk About Trees, a non-Profit program that educates children about the management and use of California's forests, has trained a new group of facilitators.

The organization hosted its annual meeting in Sacramento, Ca., where it trained the new facilitators who are expected to begin teaching in classrooms around the state this month.

New facilitators got a tour of Wetsel-Oviatt's sawmill in El Dorado Hills, Ca., in addition to visiting the Forest Center at the State Fair in Sacramento.

Talk About Trees has also uPgraded its Web site www.talkabouttrees. org. adding live video presentations. more interactive games and the forestry question board.

Last year the organization held classes for over 52,000 California elementary school students.

Bush Touts New Forest Plan

President George W. Bush spent three days in California and Oregon last month where he unveiled a broad new plan to open more federal land to logging.

The President's plan comes in the wake of devastating wild fires that have scorched millions of acres of trees in the West.

Bush says the federal government needs stricter management of federal forests, pointing to the decades-long buildup of flammable materials across the region.

"For the good of our economy, we need common-sense forest policy," Bush said during a stop at Mount Rushmore. "We can and we must manage our forests. We must keep them disease-free. We must have reasonable forest policies so as to prevent fires, not encourage them."

The plan calls for changing the way in which the government reviews environmental challenges to specific timber sales, in addition to changing the standards by which timber proposals are approved.

The new plan also allows companies that perform thinning operations to keep and sell the wood they harvest.

One of the more controversial parts of the Bush plan is to allow for the Iogging of century-old trees along with the targeted thinning of younger trees to prevent wildfires.

Environmentalists contend that the logging of old growth trees has nothing to do with fire prevention, and is simply an attempt to further the Administration's logging goals.

A senior Bush official said fellins large. commercially desirable trees ii part of "a more active management of forest growth."

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Massive Projects Employ Borates

Widely used in Hawaii since the late 1980s, borates are aggressively making in-roads on the mainland, where builders and consumers are looking for new pressure treated alternatives.

Thunderbolt Wood Treating, Riverbank, Ca.' recently converted one of their three cylinders to treat lumber with borates for the California market. "CCA has not been receiving very positive press lately," explains Don DeVries, noting that, since borate-treated wood is not used in areas of prolonged moisture, it will be sold to builders as one component of "a whole house concept."

Some builders are looking seriously. The biggest stamp of approval for borates so far may be two huge construction projects now underway in metro New Orleans, La.-the largest developments ever in North America to use borate treated wood products.

Construction of 525 housing units at the Belle Chase Naval Air Station will use approximately 2 million sq. ft' of borate-treated OSB and 5 million bd. ft. of treated lumber (more than 90% borates, the remainder CCA for the sill plate). The project's price tag: $73 million.

A similar volume of borate-treated lumber and plywood will also be used fbr framing, including decking and interior cladding, in more than 600 housing units as paft of the $400 million St. Thomas Hope VI, the transformation of an aging 5O-acre HUD project into a mixed-use neighborhood.

Both projects use SmartGuard/Advance Guard products that protect against termites, decay and other wood-destroying organisms. This solution is produced by a strategic alliance of leading borate supplier U.S. Borax Inc., wood preservation giant Osmose, and the nation's largest OSB

SmartGuard/Advance Guard products include studs, plywood, joists, rafters and OSB. The lumber and plywood products are pressure treated for deep penetration of naturally occurring minerals called borates; the OSB is treated by adding borates directly into the manufacturing process to ensure thorough distribution.

Although safe for people and pets, borates are deadly to carpenter ants, roaches and termites, including the voracious Formosan termite. Borates interfere with termites' metabolic processes, effectively killing them. Any surviving termites avoid the protected products. In the continental U.S., termites cause up to $3 billion in damage each year.

Although deadly to termites. borates are essential to plant life, and an important part of a healthy human diet. Borate treated building products are safe for construction crewsrequiring no special handling or disposal-and for residents once the home is finished.

Homeowners can now remodel their kitchens and bathrosms-elsstronically-using Home Depot's new Online Kitchen and Bath Design Center.

Located at www.homedepot.com, the tool allows customers to mix and match colors, products, wallpaper and more in a virtual room environment. Customers can then print a summary with visuals of their design choices and take it to any Home Depot store for assistance.

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Our qualified facilitators visit elementary school students throughout the state free of charge. Our program has been described as "the premier fieldtrip in the classroom." The one-hour presentations follow statewide science curriculum guidelines and are designed to encourage awareness and appreciation for the value of trees and forests in the daily lives of people, and provide a better understanding of the methods utilized to conserve, manage, and protect forest resources.

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Robert Close. 87. owner of Frank R. Close & Son, Sutter, Ca., and Corning Lumber, Corning, Ca., died July 9.

Mr. Close was a native of California.

His son. Daryl Close. is now president of the company.

Michael P. Dolan. 82. retired owner and founder of the now-defunct M.P. Dolan Lumber Co.. Dublin. Ca.. died Aug. 9 in Walnut Creek, Ca.

A native of lreland, Mr. Dolan emigrated to the U.S. in 1953, eventually settling in Orinda, Ca.

Barry Hull, 59, former sales manager for Champion International, Eugene, Or., died Aug.5 in Eugene.

Robert Ellingson, 85, retired owner of the now-defunct Ellingson Lumber Co., Baker City, Or., died July 24 in Klamath Falls, Or.

Dean Collins, 70, co-owner of Cascade Wood Products. White Citv.

Or., died Aug. 13.

A Navy veteran, Mr. Collins joined Cascade Wood Products in 1954, eventually becoming co-owner with Gary Moore in 1977.

He was a past president of the National Window & Door Association fbr one year.

Robert P. Booth, 91, who had served on the board of several Oregon-based wood products firms, died Aug. l8 in Eugene, Or.

Firm Cited In Worker's Death

Lanoga Corp. has been cited by the state of Oregon for safety violations related to the death of an employee at one of its Lumbermen's Building Centers.

The Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Division fined the company $5,000 for failure to comply with the Oregon Safe Employment Act.

On Feb. 27 Roger Wangsgard, 45, died on a Bobcat bucket loader at the Ontario, Or., store after becoming pinned under the bucket.

The citation claims that Wangsgard had not been properly trained on using the skid steer loader, which ultimately resulted in his death.

Oregon OSHA also found that a replacement seat on the skid steer loader did not match manufacturers specifications.

Fort Bragg Mills Final Log

Over a century of milling came to an end last month as Georgia-Pacific Corp.'s historic sawmill in Fort Bragg, Ca., milled its last redwood log.

The mill, which was founded by lumber baron Charles Russell Johnson in 1885, processed its last log Aug. 8. The company plans to close the mill permanently this fall after the remaining lumber has passed through the planer.

Georgia-Pacific bought the mill in 1972 from Boise Cascade, but has reported only one profitable year since 1994.

The company blames a shortage of big logs, government regulations and the popularity of non-wood building products.

"There was absolutely nothing we could do about it," said plant manager Ron Holden.

In 1999 G-P sold off 194,000 acres of timberland near the mill that had once provided redwood logs for the company.

At Britt Lumber, we specialize in redwood fence posts, boards, rails, decking and balustersmade directly from the log in our modern sawmill. We're large enough to meet your customers' needs, yet small enough to care and provide the personal seruice you need.

Depot Works On BBB Reinstatement

Home Depot is working to rejoin the Atlanta, Ga., Better Business Bureau after the agency suspended the retailer July 30 for not responding to ll0 customer complaints.

BBB's executive committee met Aue. 8 to review Depot's case. "We're waiting for them to-respond to all the pending complaints before we reinstate the membership," said Dean Smith, Better Business Bureau president and c.e.o.

Smith added: "This is not the first time their membership has been jeopardized. We had met with them this past year and thought we had it all worked out. It's not the kind of image I'm sure they want to have."

Depot officials claim the unanswered complaints were an administrative error, explaining names on BBB complaints didn't match information the chain had. According to Home Depot corporate spokesman Don Harrison, the suspension "is not something we took lightly. Customer service is the holiest of holies for us at Home Depot. We took the BBB's list of customer concerns, measured them against our own, and found they did not match up. It did come as a surprise."

Smith credits the chain with working feverishly to resolve the complaints since the suspension.

Most of the complaints, some dating back as far as April. are customer service issues.

According to BBB's Web site, during its suspension, Depot was listed as having an "unsatisfactory record" and was not listed as a member.

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