Canadian Heat Treated Wood Products Certification Program

CLA qualified to certify heat-treated wood

Last February, the Canadian Food and Inspection Agency (CFIA) and the Canadian Lumber Standards Accreditation Board (CLSAB) agreed to allow the CLA and other Canadian grading agencies to certify lumber operations that heat treat lumber under the new Canadian Heat Treated Wood Products Certification Program (CHTWPCP) - the official certification system for the export of wood products to countries requiring treatment prior to entry, including member countries of the European Union, New Zealand, Australia, the U.S., China and South Korea.  

The heat treatment regulations, enforced since April 1, 2006, are aimed at minimizing the spread of harmful pests around the world. In addition to lumber shipments, heattreated wood from the CHTWPCP will be the only source of material permitted under the Canadian Wood Packaging Certification Program (CWPCP) for the fabrication of wood pallets and crates used to transport goods overseas. The certification of such container products will, however, be administered by the Canadian Wood Pallet and Container Association (CWPCA), not the CLSAB.

The CLA submitted its Service Provider application to the CFIA in April of 2006, and should soon be in a position to offer heat-treatment certification services to kiln operations in both Quebec and Ontario. “CLA's heat-treatment certification will show as “KD-HT”, or simply as “HT”, right beside the grade stamp,” says CLA Chief Inspector Richard Hudon.