As a result of the B.C. Premier's Competitive Report and the resulting BC Coastal Action Plan, FPInnovations formulated the BC Coastal Hem-Fir Program which has produced a new wooden decking product called profile decking, recently featured at the 2009 BC Home and Garden Show.

 

Profile decking, a re-invention of solid wood decking, is the ecologically friendly product resulting from five years of lab testing and market research.  The boards, offering some of the lowest carbon emission ratings for building product choice, are factory finished and have a ribbed profile for visual appeal and durability benefits.

 

British Columbia’s Amabilis Fir, or Pacific Silver Fir, was the species of choice for FPInnovations researchers who found its treatability showed excellent results for their product.

 

"Amabilis Fir is the most treatable species we've (British Columbia) got," says FPInnovations National Markets and Economics Group Leader Chris Gaston. "And decking is a $6.5 billion US market - clearly the large scale added-value component the industry needs right now.”

 

That’s very promising for the Coastal market currently hurting from its devastated hem-fir dimension lumber and green posts Japanese markets.

 

“Homeowners have shown a willingness to pay as much as five times more for plastic wood decking as compared to traditional pressure-treated wood decking, showing their willingness to pay for design and function,” adds Gaston.