Government calls for proper care of timbers

Improper treatment of sawn timbers during the milling process is one of the contributing factors to Asian subterranean termites in Fiji.

Minister for Fisheries and Forestry Alitia Bainivalu said substandard timbers continued to be a challenge, especially in the face of an incursion of the Asian subterranean termites.

She said the ministry had been exploring the possibility of developing a timber marketing regulation to oversee the operation of timber retailers.

Ms Bainivalu said the purpose of treating timber with chemicals was to protect it from insects and fungal decay. This makes timbers more durable and being able to last longer.

Treatment plants

Fiji has 29 registered timber treatment plants -14 are licensed. The plants are licensed annually and monitored quarterly.

The monitoring of these plants focus on operator competency, health and safety control where timber samples are located monthly for testing, looking at the concentration and penetration of preservative chemicals in the timber to ensure that they are within required standards.

Ms Bainivalu said without treatment, many species of timbers including pine, would not be suitable for use in exposed conditions and on ground-contact situations.

"At the same time, there are native species, the hardwood of which are naturally durable and do not need to be treated," she said.

"So, in the market, one has a choice of buying either treated or untreated timbers, depending on one's requirements. It is only when a timber processor elects to undertake timber treatment that the current legislations come into play to ensure that certain quality and safety standards are met."

Ms Bainivalu said consumers needed to know and understand what they were buying and what they need to ask retailers as well as seek specifications, the level of treatment and what hazard level that timber would be suitable for.

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