Durable • Versatile • Renewable • Real
Making Wood Last
Today’s Preserved Wood: tough against nature
and sustainably friendly to the environment
Helpful resources
Preserved Wood Tech Library
Explore the best online resource for Western preserved wood with an exclusive library of publications, technical sheets and digital tools.
Visit the Preserved Wood Tech Library
Smartphone app on preserved wood
Have answers on preserved wood at your fingertips with the free Treated Wood Guide app for Apple iOS or Google Android.
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Hottest site on fire retardant wood
Learn how wood can be protected against fire and how it’s used in construction today in the full-featured website FireRetardantWood.org.
Check out fireretardantwood.org/
Class in session for preserved wood
Get schooled on preserved wood and fire-retardant-treated wood by taking courses at the Wood That Lasts eUniversity, offering CEU credits.
Enroll in the Wood That Lasts eUniversity
What’s new
Deck study confirms preservatives in today’s preserved wood won’t contaminate soil or rainwater runoff
Researchers at Oregon State University have confirmed the preservatives used in today’s preserved wood intended for residential use do not migrate out of the wood and contaminate rainwater runoff or nearby soil, according to a new report.
The researchers collected runoff and soil samples during the first and forth years after construction of a deck located in Oregon’s Willamette Valley where rainfall averages 40-60 inches per year. The study’s results confirmed preservative loss from preserved wood decking remains negligible as the structure ages, refuting concerns often voiced on the internet and elsewhere about the dangers of preservatives from preserved wood polluting the environment.
More information can be found in a news release and PreserveTech WWPI produced based on the study, along with a white paper about it that was published in the proceedings of the International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRG).
Research confirms preserved wood garden boxes are safe
There’s good news for the planting season! New studies by Oregon State University have determined that vegetables and plants grown in garden boxes made from preserved wood are safe and fears about the wood contaminating the produce are unwarranted.
A new PreserveTech: Safe Garden Boxes Using Preserved Wood details research on plants and vegetables grown in preserved wood and untreated wood garden boxes over two growing seasons. Testing revealed the copper and chemicals in the preservatives had no effect on the plants and produce.
Read the publication
Download the news release
Specification Guide offers insight on preserved wood
Discover how to properly specify preservative-treated wood products with the PreserveSpec guide Specifying with AWPA Use Categories for Construction. The four-page guide explains the Use Categories that define the protection needed for typical applications and exposures, essential for selecting the right preserved wood for your project. In addition to information on preservatives used today, the guide features an infographic detailing the most common uses for preserved wood in residential construction. The guide is a must-have for anyone selecting and using preserved wood in construction.