The use of pressure treated wood products provides Canadians with significant environmental and economic benefits. Using treated wood saves a forest the size of our smallest province each year and creates more than $3 billion in savings for the utility and transportation industries.

Without pressure treated wood, Canada would have to harvest another forest the size of Prince Edward Island every year. The pressure treating process extends the service life of wood from three to 10 times longer than untreated wood. There are utility poles and trestle bridges across Canada that have been in service for more than 80 years. In addition to utility poles and bridges, pressure treated wood is used for highway guard rails, railway ties and treated wood products destined for consumer use.

Numerous independent studies, including those commissioned by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) conclude chromated copper arsenate (CCA) pressure treated wood poses no health threat to consumers.

The weight of scientific evidence from all these studies indicates that CCA treated wood does not pose any unreasonable risk to the public or the environment.