If you're stuck sheltering in place, use the time to learn about preservative- and fire-retardant-treated wood products at the online campus of the Wood That Lasts eUniversity.
Featuring self-directed and narrated courses, the Wood That Lasts eUniversity is offered in cooperation with AEC Daily, an online education service that offers contining education to architects, designers, specifiers, contractors and building product distributors. To view or download the Wood That Lasts courses, visitors must complete a free registration, which allows you to receive Continuing Education Units (CEUs) when to complete a course.
Unlike other universities, the campus is open 24/7 and the textbooks are available at no charge. The curriculm includes two courses:
- Preservative-Treated Wood: Specification and Use offers a detailed overview on preserved wood products. Sections include how wood is preservative treated, specifying using AWPA Use Categories, Best Management Practices for aquatic uses and the environmental benefits of preserved wood.
- Specifying and Using Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood reviews how wood is protected from fire by pressure treating retardants into the wood fiber. Topics include a history of fire retardant wood, how those products are used in construction and how fire retardants work.
Each course allows visitors to earn continuing education credits (CEUs). CEUs are available from more than 25 associations, including American Institute of Architects (AIA), Landscape Architecture Continuing Education (LA CES), National Assn. of Home Builders (NAHB) and the National Assn. of the Remodeling Industry (NARI). You must complete the free registration with AEC Daily to download the courses and earn CEUs.
>> Review the Wood That Lasts eUniversity
Hear the story of preserved wood and the many advantages in using it in trails and other outdoor structures in a new video.
WWPI Sr. Program Manager Butch Bernhardt was invited to present an 18-minute talk without notes at the 2019 International Trails Symposium in Syracuse, New York. Bernhardt told trails managers and builders about the history of pressure-treated wood and dispelled the many myths about preserved wood products.
"Despite its wide use, treated wood is often dismissed for being 'too' – too primitive, too much maintenance or too dangerous to the environment," said Bernhardt. "However, the real story of preserved wood today is far different than these perceptions."
Watch the video on the WWPI YouTube channel. The presentation was part of the new TRAILSNext speaker series by American Trails, a national non-profit organization representing the trail industry. The association professionally recorded all of the presentations and is making them available to their members.
>> View the video
Western Wood Preservers Institute is looking to celebrate the innovative uses of preservative-treated wood products in aquatic projects with the 2018 Preserved Wood in Aquatic Uses Awards program.
Eligible projects include docks, port facilities, piers, bridges and others where preserved wood is used in or around water. The top 10 qualified entries will receive a wooden model of the Lady Washington. Check out the submission requirements and download an entry form.
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Determining any potential impacts from using preserved wood in aquatic or sensitive environments is now easier with a new, user-friendly Environmental Assessment Model.
The online model streamlines the process of modeling the conditions for a project to estimate the potential migration of preservatives from preserved wood immersed or over water. It is based on pioneering research by Dr. Kenneth Brooks and has been peer reviewed, repeatedly field tested and proven to protect the environment.
The model, which is also available as an Excel spreadsheet, has been used by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Park Service, Environment Canada and Canadian Department of Fisheries & Oceans as well as a host of local and state regulatory bodies.
For more information on the model, go to the Aquatics section or review materials in the Online Technical Library.
>> See the model
Get the latest information for specifying Western preserved sawn products under the AWPA Use Category system with a new infographic and a special PreserveSpec technical guide.
Both feature the up-to-date definitions from the 2016 AWPA Book of Standards and provide specific information to help select the right preserved wood product. The infographic, developed through the AWPA Education Task Group, shows the most common uses for preserved wood at homes. The PreserveSpec guide is the first in a new series of guides to assist those specifying preserved wood products for any project.
Download the new publications from our exclusive online Technical Library.
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Safety data sheets, or SDSs, for wood preservatives can be downloaded or requested from the new Find SDS section. The new sheets, required by OSHA regulations, replace the Material Data Safety Sheets (MSDS) and must be provided to downstream users to communicate information on the hazards of the chemicals in the preservatives.
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Corps removes treated wood ban
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has settled a lawsuit brought by the preserved wood industry and has agreed to allow the use of preserved wood over and near waters or wetlands.
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Get the latest developments on preserved wood and the Western Wood Preservers Institute on our Facebook page. Be sure to like us to get our regular updates!
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