One of Australia’s largest timber treatment companies has made the green switch, ditching traditional chemicals for water-based solutions that are not only environmentally friendly but offer superior timber durability.
Last month, Wood Central spoke to Catherine Fisher, the third-generation Managing Director of Fisher’s Timber Treatment – the first in Australia to embrace Kop-Coat’s TRU-CORE Wood For Life special water-based treatment, dubbed the world’s most advanced treating technology.
“Our mission is to protect the timber from rot, decay, termite and borer attack,” Ms Fisher said, adding that TRU-CORE is now used on a wide range of LVL, Radiata Pine, Victorian Ash and other Australian hardwoods, Red & White Baltic Pine, and Douglas Fir/Oregon—all treated for the rigours of the Australian environment. We want our customers to have their valuable assets protected, which our H3 treatment achieves.
“Much of Australia has been built with timber treated by Fisher’s Timber Treatment,” Ms Fisher said, adding, “Our superior wood treatment process has been servicing sawmills and wholesalers for many uses for more than 60 years.”
According to Ms Fisher, Fisher’s relationship with Kop-Coat—one of America’s most innovative chemical companies—began in 2011, 13 years ago, when her father, the late Lew Fisher, embraced TRU-CORE’s unique water-based treatment, using rainwater collected from the factory roof to transport chemicals.
Then, in 2012, Fisher’s began using water-based Copper Quat Green and Brown treatment for H3 and H4 levels, before in 2015, Fisher’s started using TRU-CORE® water-based Azole with Permethrin technology clear treatment for H3 levels.
However, “that only occurred after we went through a lot of trials and testing.” From start to finish, “it was a major undertaking to get to a point where Fisher’s could take the product to market”, but Ms Fisher’s said she “has no regrets,” and the business is not looking back.
“For most of his life, (my father) was heavily involved in the TPAA (the Timber Preservers Association of Australia) and passionate about providing quality treatment to the timber industry” Ms Fisher said, “he was also very interested in the more environmentally friendly aspect of the new water-based treatments.”
According to Gerry Gardiner, wood preservation pioneer, “The use of TRU-CORE has had a significant input into the decarbonising of some timber treatments,” who, through iTreat in South East Queensland, is also using TRU-CORE’s solution to protect timber from the Australian sun. “In an industry that already has outstanding credentials, this further enhances our value to the environment,” Mr Gardiner said.
“The last few months have been busy,” according to Ms Fisher, who said that in addition to Australian Sustainable Hardwoods, Fisher’s most popular, it is now treating a lot of eucalyptus coming from the far ends of the world. “There is a lot of eucalyptus, such as Red Grandis, now coming to our treatment plant from South America,” Ms Fisher said.
