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Natural selection. 100% renewable plantation pine from Carter Holt Harvey How times change. Carter Holt Harvey’s range of termite resistant engineered building products Hyspan, Hybeam and Hychord are by nature, incredibly eco-friendly. Not that long ago, applying an energy rating to a new home was the exception to the rule. Now it’s the law. Embodied energy is the big issue now. It’s not just about how much energy a product will use in the next 10 or so years, but how much it will use for all time.
Dr Selwyn Tucker of the CSIRO’s Manufacturing and Infrastructure Technology division explains, “Embodied energy is the energy consumed by all of the processes associated with the production of a building from the acquisition of natural resources to product delivery including mining, manufacturing of material and equipment, transport and
administrative functions.” The consumer may be educated in the more superficial aspects of a house such as appliances, but it’s those with a hand in the building of houses who can influence the energy a house consumes as a whole. |  | The common building material with the least embodied energy is wood, with about 640 kilowatt-hours per tonne (most of it consumed by the industrial drying process, and some in the manufacture of and impregnation with preservatives.) Assuming that the wood in question comes from sustainably managed forests (which it does in the case of Carter Holt Harvey®), it has to be the greenest building material available. Carter Holt Harvey is a company which doesn’t just hang an environmental policy in its reception areas – it enforces these policies throughout every one of its operations. The Carter Holt Harvey Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) range is just one example of this. The Carter Holt Harvey LVL range has one other major advantage and it’s to do with a very costly little pest, the termite. According to Jim Creffield of the CSIRO’s Forestry and Forest Products division, the annual cost of repair of damage to timber-in-service caused by termites in Victoria alone has been estimated to be in excess of $200 million. If you think that’s big bickies, it is estimated that 650,000 Australian homes have been infested by termites over the last five years. The cost of treatment Australia-wide is estimated at around $3.9 billion. With over 30 years experience in the biology and control of termites, Mr Creffield believes that regardless of the type of construction, without an adequate Termite Management System, termite infestation will almost certainly occur at some stage during the life of the structure. Termite treated to the core
Carter Holt Harvey range of LVL products are termite treated thoroughly and safely during manufacture. Carter Holt Harvey’s LVL is made from 3 mm thick veneers of Radiata pine, bonded together with a phenolic resin. The bifenthrin-based insecticide, DeterMite®, is added to the resin before application ensuring it impregnates every single layer, not just the surface. This process can be applied to Carter Holt Harvey’s Hyspan®, Hybeam® and now, Hychord®. So from subfloor to rafters, termite protection is ensured. DeterMite, a bifenthrin-based treatment from Osmose® is not only an insecticide which relies on the termites ingesting the product, but also a repellent which discourages termites so they’ll find a meal elsewhere. This dual action is unique and takes into account the important role termites play in our delicate ecosystems. It’s discouragement, not annihilation. LVL treated with DeterMite requires no change in normal building practice, handling recommendations or additional maintenance. Bifenthrin, the active pesticide has become one of Australia’s most successful insecticides around the home. It is commonly found in many soil treatment formulations and even repellent ‘mozzie’ candles. These energy-frugal, termite-resistant LVL products reinforce Carter Holt Harvey’s reputation as a true innovator and are a natural selection for home-owners, builders and specifiers. 
For further information contact:
Carter Holt Harvey
Phone: 1300 658 8...
Fax: 02 9468 5....
Web: www.chhwoodproducts.com.au
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