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Lumber grading bill divides timber industry and engineers; lawmakers weigh local economic benefits against code uniformity
Summary
SB 5 03 would allow New Hampshire-grown SPFS lumber to be accepted where SPF is specified; timber owners and builders favor the change for local mills, while structural engineers and the American Lumber Standard Committee warned of different design values and urged building-code amendments instead.
Senate Bill 5 03 would permit New Hampshire-grown spruce-pine-fir-south (SPFS) lumber to be used where SPF is specified in building plans, a change proponents said would level the playing field for state sawmills and support local timber economies.
Sponsor Senator David Rochered said the bill recognizes that trees grown just south of the Canadian border are grown in substantially similar climates and that the current commodity distinction penalizes New Hampshire mills. He told the committee the bill preserves existing safety standards by requiring building inspectors to rely on published…
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