FEATURES
Wood captures carbon from the atmosphere and is ideal for building houses with at a time when climate change has become a major global issue .
Commercially important wood species are typically derived from locally grown well-managed forests delivering high growth rate material . Due to high demand , modern processing practices are designed to maximise wood production yield , meaning it is impractical and uneconomic to exclude sapwood .
The sapwood of all species are susceptible to insect and fungal attack , and requires protection against insect attack and , in prolonged wet conditions , fungal attack . If non-durable , heartwood may also require protection depending on the wood species , the conditions of use and the service life required . Most South African grown commercially important species of pine and eucalyptus are nondurable and requires preservative pre-treatment .
Work in progress on a timber home in Pretoria . ‐
The sapwood of all species are susceptible to insect and fungal attack , and requires protection against insect attack and , in prolonged wet conditions , fungal attack .
In recognising the short life of untreated wood when used in exposed applications and conditions , for example , agriculture , marine and freshwater areas , structures and fencing , and the inconvenience and cost of failure , humankind has from antiquity attempted to prolong the life of wood . The discovery of the biological causes of wood damage and decay , coinciding with the start of the Industrial Revolution , led to the development of effective treatments . This has culminated in the preservatives and processes available now for many uses of treated wood that meet the health , safety , and environmental requirements of today ’ s regulatory regime .
Sustainability is often defined as meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs . For true sustainability , we need to integrate the goals of a high quality of life , health and prosperity with social justice and maintaining the earth ’ s capacity to support life in all its diversity . These social , economic , and environmental goals are
18 DECEMBER 2020 / JANUARY 2021 // www . timberiq . co . za