Two European directives, implemented in 2003 and 2004 respectively, brought massive changes to the wood preservation market in the UK and the rest of the EU.
The first took creosote off the shelves of DIY stores after a century of effective use. Its place has largely been taken by a number of alternative products, some of which are packed and formulated to look and smell like creosote but which do not protect against decay or insect attack. The Health & Safety Executive, which runs the approval scheme for preservatives in the UK, has failed to act to prevent this abuse. Effective alternatives are available from Wood Preservation Association (WPA) members but we feel insufficient guidance is available in-store to help the public. Industrial creosote treatment continues and WPA Creosote Group members are active in the traditional markets – poles, sleepers, fencing and noise barriers. The market for old railway sleepers in landscaping and horticulture is still buoyant.
Revolution
The second directive brought the real revolution in the industry. It deemed that, from mid-2004, CCA-treated timber was no longer allowed for the vast majority of its traditional uses, domestic construction and fencing being the key ones. The industry did not have long to prepare but wood preservative suppliers had devoted years of research and development to creating new products.
In 2004, the WPA (part of the BWPDA) said this was evidence of a responsible industry ahead of, not following, the evolution of society’s attitudes to health, safety and environmental protection. We looked for an orderly transition to newer wood preservative types and this has happened. The successful management of this change absorbed significant resources on the part of chemical suppliers and was a major logistical exercise.
Osmose Timber Technologies UK general manager and WPA chairman Gordon Ewbank said: “Looking back, it was remarkably trouble free, was completed on time and was a credit to suppliers and treaters alike. As part of this exercise, a number of major treaters have invested in new and sophisticated treatment plant and equipment, with advanced process control and management software systems.”
Perhaps the most telling statistic about CCA, that dominated the UK wood preservation market for 50 years, is that it is now used in only one UK treatment plant. The focus is now on consolidating the market, continuing to educate users on how best to use timber treated with the ‘new’ products and looking ahead.
New markets are emerging: UK-grown timber is being used for engineered wood construction and we have seen the first UK home-grown mill install a low pressure treatment plant for the treatment of planed material for the timber frame market. The growth potential of the softwood cladding market depends on the preservative treatments that provide the necessary added durability.
We see effective provision of information for users of treated timber as a key part of maintaining and building confidence in pre-treatment, and the value it adds to wood, and WPA is active in communicating with all stakeholders in a variety of ways – so best representing members’ interests and helping to build the market for pre-treated wood.
Earlier this year WPA published a user information card with a guide to working safely with preserved timber, together with the four main Use Classes for treated timber used in current standards and a guide to specifying preserved timber. These are available to treatment companies to pass on to their customers.
Information campaign
Now we are launching our new information initiative Makesureit’s4.
One of the consequences of the change from CCA is that treaters and users of treated timber need to get used to different loadings of preservatives from those they have become familiar with. This is especially so for Use Class 4 – permanently exposed to wetting in the ground or fresh water – one of the most challenging environments for timber. The WPA is aware that timber treated to, for example, Use Class 3 requirements (above ground exposed to the weather), where the biological challenge is much reduced, is finding its way into the Class 4 market. This presents a risk of premature failure and consequent threat to the reputation of treated timber.
The aims of the Makesureit’s4 campaign are:
