1

C The Timber Preservers Association of Australia IT'S TIMBER - TREAT IT WELL !!

MARCH ISSUE 2017

Correspondence: 3, Wright Street BRIGHTON VIC 3186 Telephone: (03) 9596 8166 Email: doug@tpaa.com.au Email: secretary@tpaa.com.au Web: www.tpaa.com.au Plant Register Web: www.tpaa.com.au/treatment-plants

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President: Gerry Gardiner (07) 3204 0444

Technical: Harry Greaves (0419) 585 193

Secretary: Jack Norton (0418) 989 398

Editor: Doug Howick (03) 9596 8166

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______________________________

… … from TPAA President … …

At the time of putting this

Newsletter together, President

Gerry is travelling overseas.

However, he will be back

doing what Presidents do

when he presides over the

next TPAA Council

meeting, which is scheduled

to be held in Melbourne on

Thursday March 23 starting at

10:00 am.

Please let Secretary Jack know if there are any

topics you want raised as he will be sending

agenda details closer to the meeting.

* * * * * * * * *

… and from TPAA Secretary …

Jack’s rant … … If we

are going to represent you

guys adequately (you should

read this as help you sell

more treated wood) then we

need you here up the front of

the bus. If you are concerned

about the time involved, we

can do things electronically.

As always, please don’t

hesitate to contact me if you

have any comments or questions.

Some of the initiatives we have been working

on include this list:

* Reviewing TPAA’s Constitution. Now this has

NOT been a barrel of laughs but it has to be done

as it sets the ground rules for our organization. The

current Constitution is badly out of date.

* We have developed a new Technical Guide that

sets out a protocol for sampling LOSP treated LVL

that is in place in a building. As this Guide is

different in nature from the Technical Notes, it will

appear under the Quality Program tab of our web

site.

* We have made a submission to the Federal

Government’s Inquiry into Non-Conforming

Products.

* I have organised to make a presentation to the

Queensland branch of Engineers Australia as a part

of their professional development program.

* I am talking to the ABC for an interview for their

Saturday morning segment on renovations and

household problems.

* The web site is being regularly updated.

* A number of us attended the Launch of the

National Centre for Timber Durability and Design

Life. The Centre is to be run out of Sunshine Coast

University.

* We have been responding to queries from the

building industry and the public. These queries

range from CCA in chicken coops to treated wood

in boats to treated wood in biomass energy

production etc. etc.

Jack Norton

* * * * * * * * *

C NTACT

2

… and from TPAA Technical

Committee Chairman …

At the time of putting this

Newsletter together, Harry

Greaves is also travelling

overseas.

However, in these modern

times, modern ships such as

the Queen Mary, (on which

he is currently sailing), have all

the communication facilities available, so your

Editor can still get replies to emails that Harry is

still conscientious enough to bother to read –

instead of relaxing completely as he should.

AS/NZS 1604 series: All editorial adjustments

to the draft texts have been finalised, but SA

policy for joint AS/NZS documents requires

NZS to approve any amendments or

/revisions/text editorials, etc. of joint standards

before SA can proceed to publication. This

approval has now been given, so the amended

AS/NZS 1604 series documents will go the

printers.

If you want a complete document into which

the amendments have been stitched you will

have to purchase all parts anew!

STOP PRESS! The AS/NZS 1604 series

amendment 1 will be published and

available on SAI Global from 9 March.

AS/NZS 1605 series: I have completed all the

editorial requests on the drafts we prepared

some time ago (thank you Steve for all your

help here). Note that FWPA funding support

was important to us during the re-drafting

stage. A minor hold-up has been the

conformance/compliance part shown in Part 1

at Appendix B. SA has new requirements for

this aspect in standards, and so they will either

revise Appendix B or delete it (I’m not clear

on which action is to taken). After that the 4-

part standard will proceed to public review

when you may have your say on the various

analytical and/or spot test procedures.

Harry Greaves

* * * * * * * * *

Timber preservative testing lab set up

Independent Verification Services Australia Pty Ltd

has just announced the availability of an additional

Treated Timber Analysis Laboratory in Melbourne,

complementing its existing lab in Brisbane. The new

laboratory is the result of a partnership between IVS

and Australian Forest Research Company (AFRC).

Independent Verification Services NZ Ltd has been

operating a timber testing service in NZ for six years

and in Brisbane for the last four years. The new

Melbourne laboratory is managed by Colin Malcolm

who has over 30 years’ experience in analytical testing.

"Our lab results are sent to our compliance section who

independently assess the levels for compliance and issue

the compliance report. The area of compliance is a very

complex and challenging area," said Tim Evans, IVS

Business Development Manager.

* * * * * * * * *

Items provided in this CONTACT Newsletter

are drawn from a number of sources. The

source of the item is quoted, either by

publication or organization in line with the

practice of fair reporting.

TPAA does not necessarily agree with or

endorse the content of articles written by others.

* * * * * * * * *

3

Newton crate & pallet maker pleads

guilty

Alisa M. Schafer , Wisconsin - Feb. 23, 2017

(Photo: Getty images)

GREEN BAY - The site manager for Timber Creek

Resource in Newton has pleaded guilty in federal

court to falsifying stamps to mark untreated wood,

causing $349,365 in losses for Wisconsin companies.

During the arraignment and plea hearing Feb.6 in Green

Bay before Chief United States District Judge for the

United States District Court for the Eastern District of

Wisconsin William Griesbach, Russel Wetenkamp

agreed to plead guilty to two counts of misrepresenting

materials created at the Newton site of Timber Creek

Resource.

Wooden pallets that are sold for use in international

commerce are required to undergo a heat-treatment

process. This process prevents wood from being

infested with insects or microorganisms that could

potentially harm or contaminate other products.

The wood that is treated is then marked by a stamp

issued with authority from the Wisconsin Secretary of

Agriculture.

According to court documents, Wetenkamp used a

stamp issued to the Newton facility to illegally mark

wood that had not been heat-treated between Nov. 30,

2014, and June 16, 2015. The federal charges stem from

the U.S. Plant Protection Act.

The plea agreement states: “Wetenkamp admitted to a

Special Agent from the U.S. Department of Agriculture

that … he had marked and caused the marking of

wooden pallets with the stamp and knew at the time that

the marking falsely indicated that the pallets had been

heat-treated by Timber Creek when, in fact, they had

not been heat-treated.”

As a result of the sales of the wooden pallets falsely

marked with the stamp, the court documents said

Wetenkamp caused losses of no less than $344,000 to

customers of Timber Creek Resources. It lists 10

Wisconsin companies, including Brillion Iron Works in

Brillion and Jagemann Stamping Company and

Wisconsin Aluminum Foundry in Manitowoc.

Wetenkamp will appear in court again at 2:30 p.m. May

5 in Green Bay for a sentencing hearing.

* * * * * * * * *

New clear-grain radiata pine decking

launched

Wood manufacturer Kebony has announced the North

American launch of the next generation Kebony Clear, a

complete line of clear-grain decking and cladding

products for both residential, public and commercial

applications.

“Kebony Clear is made from sustainable Pinus Radiata

and was developed expressly for outdoor installations

that require a clear, premium-looking finish,” Kebony

USA Sales Manager Andy Hehl said. “It’s a look that

works very well for sustainable, modern decks, facades

and landscape architecture projects.”

As with all

Kebony

woods,

Kebony

Clear is

treated with

a bio-based

liquid that,

after it is

cured, provides a combination of outstanding durability

and dimensional stability. The patented process results

in wood cell walls that are about 50 percent thicker and

provide a hardness that rivals the best tropical

hardwoods. The company's global headquarters is based

in Oslo, Norway, with its production facility in Skien,

South of Oslo. The Kebony USA team is located in St.

Clair, Michigan. Source: Kebony Products

Friday Offcuts – 24 February 2017

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4

Parkdale home eaten by termites as

experts call on authorities to act

Emma Watson, Mordialloc Chelsea Leader February 3, 2017

HOMEOWNER Clare Bristow has issued a dire

warning about the dangers of termites after thousands

ate through her three-year-old house.

Late last year she rubbed her hand over what she

thought was a tiny black scratch on woodwork and

dozens of white ants tumbled out. She later found the

white ants had come from an old tree stump buried

beneath her house and had eaten their way up.

Ms Bristow, who will have to have her staircase rebuilt,

discovered her house wasn’t built to protect against

white ants as Kingston hasn’t been declared a termite

prone region. The Parkdale woman said houses across

the municipality could be “sitting ducks” as experts

warned conditions were ripe for a termite infestation.

In Victoria, it’s up to councils to declare they’re a

termite-prone area. If they do, new house builds and

extensions must be protected against termite infestation

but in “undeclared” areas such as Kingston, there are no

compulsory anti-termite standards.

“Kingston has huge population growth, huge

construction,” Ms Bristow said. “I would much rather

pay a little extra for treated timber ... at least you know

your house might survive.”

Termite consultant Dr Don Ewart said the notion

there were some areas in Victoria where the risk didn’t

justify action was ridiculous. “There are termites

everywhere,” he said.

Dr Ewart said some councils would not declare their

regions as termite-prone as they’d argue house prices

could rise and developments could slow down.

“If we can get the (state planning) minister to change it

for all of Victoria, that won’t be a problem,” Dr Ewart

said.

“Really, the minister could solve the problem in a day.”

But Patrick Lane, a spokesman for Planning Minister

Richard Wynne, said two government reviews since

2005 found the economic risk of termite attacks on

houses in Victorian didn’t warrant a statewide

declaration. “Local governments are best placed to

designate areas in its municipality which are at risk of

termites,” Mr Lane said.

Ms Bristow has now thrown her support behind

Kingston councillor Tamsin Bearsley’s push to

implement a termite protection policy in the

municipality. Cr Bearsley will ask council officers to

prepare a report detailing the benefits and costs of

implementing a protection policy and how other

councils manage termite protection.

HOW TO LOOK FOR TERMITES

• weak timber that breaks easily, revealing wafer thin

layers — skirting boards are often the first point of

damage

• changes in corner facades under gutters, as termites are

attracted to damp or moist areas

• mud-like tubes or material around external

footings/brickwork, or internal fittings like service pipes

and electrical plugs

• cracks/holes in timber or plaster with a fine dust

residue.

Don’t be complacent — arrange regular visual

inspections in and around your home. If you suspect

any termite activity, organise a full inspection.-advice

sourced from the Victorian Building Authority

5

Accoya Wood of the future

16 February 2017

Accoya Acetylated Wood is one building product we’re

keeping an eye on this year. Named as one of the top 10

green building products for 2017, the product is tipped

to have a significant impact on the market in the coming

years. Source: Architecture And Design

While the product is available in Australia through

Britton Timbers , M&B Building Products and

Matthews Timber, it has not been used to the extent

we’ve seen overseas.

Accoya is an American high-performance natural wood

product made from sustainably grown Radiata Pine

from New Zealand and Chile which has been modified

in a process called acetylation.

Acetylation increases the amount of naturally occurring

acetyl molecules in timber, which improves its

durability, stability, and service life.

It has been thoroughly tested for dimensional stability,

durability, paint retention and inground conditions, and

has been used by architects all over the world for a

variety of applications. It is ideal for exterior

applications such as windows, doors, siding,

decking and outdoor furniture. Inspiration: we have

listed six projects from around the globe have made use

of the Accoya product.

Located within the Naturarena Rotsee rowing

development in Lucerne, the rowing centre designed by

Andreas Fuhrimann Gabrielle Hächler Architekten is a

three-storey prefabricated wood construction carried

above the water level by a concrete platform.

The centre was clad with Accoya to both reflect the

natural woodland surroundings, and to form a façade

able to cope with extreme conditions. Swiss distributers

Herzog-Elmiger AG recommended Accoya for the

project, citing the woods high resistance to water.

For the finished centre, 1700sqm of Accoya, which is

100% non-toxic, was prefabricated to form the

building’s façade and decking.

The wood was applied with a Sikkens coating to

integrate the façade with the overall colour concept.

Glue laminated Accoya was also used for the curved

rear screen and hand finished with a protective merbau-

coloured coating from Wood Guard by Guard Industrie.

The same finish was factory applied to the cladding.

Accoya was chosen for Studio MK27’s Jungle House

(Casa da Mata) on Guarujá Beach due to its durability to

withstand Brazil’s intense heat and humidity. The

product was used for the home’s decking, facades, and

for some of the interior panelling and room furniture.

Additionally, Accoya was used for the home’s

MUXARABI joineries. This special type of joinery is

used by architects to enhance the aesthetic designs of

projects.

In the instance of Jungle House, the joinery acts as a

light filter, providing varying projections of light as the

sun moves around the house throughout the day. No

colour was applied to the wood, leaving it in its natural

grey state which complements the surroundings of the

project.

The Royal Arena in Copenhagen, which opened this

month, has utilised Accoya for its entire façade.

The wood was selected by architects 3XN for the

arena’s fins due to its elegant aesthetic appearance

which gives the building an eye-catching and

bespoke style.

They were also chosen due to its durability and

worldwide environmental standards.

“Durability and aesthetics were key issues driving the

material selection for the fins on the new Royal Arena

in Copenhagen,” Jan Ammundesen, senior partner at

3XN said.

Accoya was chosen for the exterior cladding because of

its dimensional stability. In addition, its acetylation

properties prevent pests from damaging the surface and

ruining the aesthetics of the structure.

“We were impressed with Accoya’s credentials – the

product is fully carbon neutral, extremely durable in

exterior applications and both reusable and

recyclable,” Todd Geer, Leroy Troyer said. “Accoya

has been recognised for its environmental

standards worldwide so we were very interested in

using Accoya to build the country’s very own Noah’s

Ark.”

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6

HSE authorises the continued use of

creosote in UK

17 January 2017

The use of creosote in the UK as an industrially-

applied wood preservative has recently been

authorised by the Health & Safety Executive (HSE)

under The Biocidal Products Regulation.

The HSE’s decision to authorise creosote has recently

been communicated to creosote manufacturers,

confirming that its decision follows Sweden’s move to

authorise the treatment for sleepers and poles.

The HSE’s approval applies until 2021 and covers Use

Class (UC) 3 railway sleepers, UC 3 fence panels, UC

3 surface treatment (e.g. for cut end treatments), UC 4

wood poles for overhead electrical and

telecommunication and UC 4 surface treatment (e.g.

for cut end treatments).

Creosote manufacturers have been told that the HSE

will now look at the case for authorisation of UC 4

agricultural stake/support - when long service life is

required (safety critical) and UC 4 fence posts - (safety

critical e.g. equestrian fencing, animal security fencing,

highway fencing).

HSE has told the Wood Protection Association (WPA)

that it expects to add creosote to the list of authorised

preservatives on its website in the next few weeks. Once

this is done the formal application by creosote

manufacturers for the additional uses will take place.

“We believe there is a strong case to authorise

creosote for fencing and agricultural stakes in the

UK and anticipate a positive outcome,” said WPA

Creosote Group chairman John Lawrenson.

HSE has confirmed that during the assessment of the

additional uses application, UK manufacturers of

creosoted fencing and tree stake products can continue

to supply them under transitional arrangements set out

in the authorisation. Different rules apply to imported

creosote-treated products.

Creosote manufacturers anticipate the HSE will add

treatment of wood for fencing and tree stakes to the

authorisation in late spring/early summer.

* * * * * * * * *

Lonza Wood Protection Website

Launch

As a valued member of the timber treatment network,

TPAA has been introduced to the rebranding of the

business from Arch Wood Protection to Lonza Wood

Protection through the launch of a new website.

The new Website focuses on the organisation’s wood

protection products and services throughout the Asia

Pacific region and is now live. They tell us that there

are information resources for wood users, specifiers and

the greater community to enhance the understanding

and use of treated wood products.

Accordingly, we advise that the new website can be

found at: www.lonzawoodprotection.com/apac/

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Eye have a spelling chequer

It came with my pea sea.

It plainly marques for my revue

Mistakes eye cannot sea.

I've run this poem threw it

Eye am sure your pleas too no,

Its letter perfect in its weigh,

My checker tolled me sew.

* * * * * * * * *

You can’t actually see Harry & Sandra Greaves

waving from the poop deck of the Queen Mary, but

I’m sure they’re there – SMILING!

* * * * * * * * *

7

Former Osmose complex headed for

partial demolition

The Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus bought the

former Osmose Holdings complex at 980 Elliott St. last

year. It has sought approval to demolish a portion of

the property.

By Karen Robinson - Feb 23, 2017

Part of the vast former Osmose Holdings complex at

the north end of the Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus is

eyed for demolition. The Buffalo Preservation Board

on Thursday afternoon will consider a request by the

property owner for city approval to raze a portion of the

complex at 980 Ellicott St.

BNMC, a nonprofit which coordinates campus

operations, bought the complex bordered by Ellicott and

Best streets in November from Osmose Holdings for

$3.75 million. At the time, it indicated the property

would be home to a new innovation center, although

recently Matthew K. Enstice, president and CEO of the

medical campus, said the group still is exploring its

options for the site where he said environmental cleanup

also has to be addressed.

Some of the former complex also provides short-term

parking for about 200 cars.

The proposal is to demolish roughly a third of the parcel

near the center of the site, according to photographs

included in the demolition application.

"We're trying to figure out what we want to do with all

our space," Enstice said in a January interview.

Enstice could not be reached to comment Wednesday

about the demolition request. The request is filed by

Ontario Specialty Contracting of Buffalo, which does

environmental remediation, demolition and Brownfield

redevelopment.

The former Osmose site has a 150,000-square-foot

complex of three or four connected buildings situated at

the northern boundary of the campus bordered by Best,

Ellicott, Dodge and Main streets.

There had been talk by campus officials last summer of

the possibility that companies would move into the site

early this year. For many years, the Medical Campus

has looked for a suitable site for a second Innovation

Center since the original innovation hub at 640 Ellicott

is nearly full with startup companies and entrepreneurs.

Enstice previously said the Osmose Holdings property

makes sense because little renovation work would be

needed since it offers both office and laboratory space

and is near the Niagara Frontier Transportation

Authority's Summer-Best station.

* * * * * * * * *

BEAUMONT - A personal injury suit against Entergy

Texas that was slated for trial next month has been

continued till April. Plaintiffs Adam and Ashley Mason

filed suit against Entergy Texas in Jefferson County

District Court, alleging the company’s negligence

caused Adam to be shocked while working on a utility

pole.

Court records show Entergy filed a motion for

continuance on Dec. 22, stating that some discovery still

remains outstanding. Following a Jan. 9 hearing, Judge

Kent Walston, 58th District Court, pushed the trial from

February to April 17.

Court records further show Entergy had hired Osmose

to inspect and restore various utility poles. Adam was

part of Osmose’s crew. While inspecting a pole, a live

electrical wire broke loose and made contact with him.

On Oct. 21, 2015, Entergy filed a motion for leave to

designate responsible third party, contending it is not

liable for the injury and that Osmose “clearly had a duty

to ensure that its employees” were properly equipped

and qualified. A month later, Judge Walston granted

the motion, court records show.

Pursuant to a contract between the companies, Osmose

was responsible for the inspection of each utility poll it

was working on and was specifically responsible to

ensure that there were no loose objects on the utility poll

that could fall and cause injury.

* * * * * * * * *

8

TPAA - TIMBER PRESERVERS ASSOCIATION

OF AUSTRALIA The Timber Preservers’ Association of Australia (TPAA) represents the nation's wood preservation industry. It is made up of timber treaters, preservative suppliers, research organisations, and individuals and bodies having an interest in the production and use of preservative-treated timber.

The TPAA promotes a knowledge of the principles and methods of timber preservation within the industry, helps with establishing and adhering to Standards for the treatment of timber, and promotes best practice in the production of treated wood.

The TPAA encourages its members to comply with national Standards and applicable legislation, to use sound and responsible environmental procedures, and to produce fit-for-purpose treated timber products.

TPAA members produce a range of treated timber products to suit all uses, from heavy industrial applications to treated products for the house and garden.