Guide for Minimizing the Effect of Preservative-Treated Wood on SensitiveEnvironments

摘要

Preservation-treated wood is often used for construction of highway and footbridges, wetland boardwalks, and other structures in or over water or sensitive environments. In these applications it is important that release of preservative from wood into the environment is minimized. This publication addresses this concern by describing the various types of pressure-treated wood, reviewing recent research on the environmental impacts of pressure-treated wood, and discussing methods of minimizing potential environmental impacts. Recent research indicates that wood treated with these preservatives does release small amounts of chemical into the environment immediately adjacent to the treated structure, although no adverse biological impacts were observed.