Wood That Lasts eUniversity
Welcome to the campus of the Wood That Lasts eUniversity, where you can build your knowledge in preservative- and fire-retardant-treated wood products.
The eUniversity offers a courses on specifying preservative-treated and fire-retardant-treated wood products that protect them from wood destroying organisms or from the effects of fire. The courses is available as downloadable, self-paced presentation.
The information presented in the courses are supplemented with downloadable publications from the Technical Library. These titles offer the most current information about fire-retardant-treated wood.
Click on the titles below to view the course descriptions and the links to download each course.
Preservative-Treated Wood: Specification and Use
Description
In applications where wood may be exposed to moisture, insects, or fungal organisms, preservative-treated wood can ensure a project’s durability. This course reviews: the manufacturing process for pressure-treated wood; types of preservative treatments and the required levels of retention as dictated by the end-use application, desired service life, and exposure conditions; American Wood Protection Association (AWPA) Use Category standards; current issues concerning preserved wood in residential and commercial construction; and Best Management Practices (BMPs) for aquatic uses.
PDF download – self-paced version
Reference publications
- PreserveSpec – Specifying with AWPA Use Categories
- Preserved Wood Infographic
- PreserveSpec – Preserved Wood and the 2024 International Building Code
- PreserveSpec – Preserved Wood and the 2024 International Residential Code
- PreserveTech – Field Treating
- Specifiers Guide – Best Management Practices
Specifying and Using Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood
Description
For some applications, building codes provide for the use of fire-retardant-treated wood products (FRTW) as an alternative to noncombustible materials. To ensure that FRTW products are properly specified, it is important to understand how these products are made, their formulations, and the building code references that guide their use in construction. This course reviews the manufacturing process for fire-retardant-treated lumber and plywood, how fire retardants work, types of fire retardants, and fire retardant wood the building codes.
Course format:
PDF download – self-paced version
Reference publications
- Fire-Retardant-Treated Wood: What it is and what it isn’t
- FireSpec – Fire Retardant Treating vs. Coatings
- Fire Retardant Wood Products ASTM E2768 Test Results Summary
- FireSpec – Fire Retardant Wood and the 2021 International Building Code
- FireSpec – Code Compliant Fire Retardant-Treated Wood Labels
For more information on FRTW products, go to our sister website FireRetardantWood.org