TIMBER PRODUCTS April 2022 HT Newsletter Volume: 04/01/2022

Purchasing HT Lumber

When purchasing lumber for use in the manufacture of wood packaging material (WPM) receiving an IPPC mark, this material must be properly identified as heat treated (HT) in an ALSC approved manner.  This is typically in the form of an ink stamped quality mark approved by an ALSC accredited agency.  The mark must be applied to each piece according to the American Lumber Standard Committee Inc., Lumber Enforcement Regulations (November 6, 2020) Section 6.2.1 which states in part:

"...when the HT or KDHT mark of an agency is used, each piece shall be marked..."

The minimum requirements of an HT mark are found in Section 6.1.7 which states:

“The certified grade rules contain provisions for the marking of lumber as “HT” and where applicable all provisions of these Enforcement Regulations shall also apply. Lumber marked “HT” to identify compliance to heat treatment requirements with no reference to grade shall at a minimum include:

-the identification of the accredited agency

-the identification of the mill or facility or of the agency inspector

-the term “HT”

Caveat Emptor

For lumber received by a WPM facility, ALSC’s oversight relates to any material marked with quality marks approved by and overseen by ALSC accredited agencies.  ALSC has no jurisdiction over lumber not bearing a quality mark and there is no ALSC oversight for unmarked material or how it is represented by a seller.  A mill or broker can offer and sell lumber as KD, HT, or KDHT with no quality mark on it; however, this material cannot be used in the manufacture of WPM receiving an ALSC administered IPPC mark since it does not have the related ALSC required HT mark applied to each piece.  It is the responsibility of the WPM facility to ensure that the lumber bought to be used for the manufacture of wood packaging receiving an IPPC mark meets the ALSC requirements for HT conformance when received into its facility. 

Lumber that has a barcode tag or sticker on each piece with quality information does not qualify as meeting HT requirements.  The reasoning behind this comes from two areas of ALSC's regulations.  One is the 6.1.7 regulation mentioned earlier, which describes the minimum requirements of an HT mark.  The second is an ALSC clarification made in their ratified responses on November 5, 2021, which states that: 

“Situation: Scenario was presented involving the use of a bar code tag in close proximity with the grade mark. In the particular case, a bar code tag did not contain additional information such as grade mark nomenclature or a reference to forest certification and was secured with a staple to the end of the board that also contained the grade mark. The question posed was this practice permitted.”

“ALS staff response:  Staff reviewed the scenario and gave tentative approval for use of a bar code tag in this manner. (Ratified by ALSC November 12, 2010, amended by ALSC November 7, 2014 as follows: - Included in this scenario is adhesive-backed bar codes. In addition, all such tags (adhesive-backed or stapled) can contain size and any of ALSC Ratified Staff Responses Page 12 November 5, 2021 the information contained in the gradestamp as shown on the piece with the exception of the agency logo.)”

The barcode tag/sticker was allowed to make the processing of lumber, at checkout by retailers, more efficient for them and their customers.  It was never meant to replace the official quality mark on the lumber because it is transferrable (it can potentially be removed from one piece and attached to another).  For that reason, the accredited agency logo is not allowed on the tag.  Because the accredited agency logo is not on the tag, it does not meet the minimum requirements of Section 6.1.7 to be considered HT and this tagged/stickered lumber could not be used to manufacture wood packaging material receiving an IPPC mark unless the piece also contained an ALSC approved quality mark with "HT" included on it. 

As stated, lumber purchased for the WPM program must be properly marked to be used in the manufacture of WPM receiving an IPPC mark.  It is the responsibility of a facility receiving HT lumber to ensure that the material is properly marked to ALSC standards when received as HT inventory for the manufacture of WPM receiving an IPPC mark.

KD vs. HT Lumber

Kiln drying (KD) and heat treating (HT) are two seperate processes that are utilized in manufacturing lumber and it is important to understand the difference. 

Kiln Dried (KD) refers to the process of reducing the moisture content of lumber to 19% or below.  Kilns, engineered specifically for this purpose are used employing the needed equipment and systems to lower the moisture content in a way that also helps to protect the lumber from any damage that can occur in the dryng process.

Heat treated (HT) refers to the condition of lumber that has met the criteria for reaching a specified temperature in the core of the wood being treated.  The system used for heat treating is not as sophisticated as that for kiln drying since you are only working to elevate the temperature in the core of the wood to specified requirements and no consideration is given to how the treatment physically affects of the wood treated.  The general requirement for heat treating related to ISPM 15 conformance is 140° F for 30 continuous minutes.

Many times when lumber is kiln dried it will also meet the requirements for heat treatment.  In this situation, a KDHT mark may be applied to the lumber indicating the criteria for both processes has been met.  This can be seen included on many of the quality marks applied to softwood lumber.  Only lumber that has been marked in an ALSC approved manner HT or KDHT can be used in the manufacture of wood packaging receiving an IPPC mark.