Cornell Cooperative Extension Community Horticulture

Treated Lumber

There is often concern about using treated lumber.

Note that CCA (i.e., arsenic-containing) treated lumber was phased in the early 2000′s. (More details here from EPA)

Alkaline Copper Quat  (ACQ) is the primary wood treatment chemical that has taken over much of the chromated copper arsenic (CCA) market. The main active ingredient in ACQ is Copper, which has long been established as the most cost-effective preservative component used in timber preservation.  Quat, provides additional protection from fungi and insect attack that copper alone would not control.  Quats are commonly used in household and industrial disinfectants and cleaners and are biodegradable in soil. None of the ingredients in ACQ are listed by EPA as carcinogens.

If treated lumber is used consider reviewing ways to minimize any level of contamination by reviewing this fact sheet from Cornell Waste Management Institutue

Soil Contaminants and Best Practices for Healthy Gardens

Alternatives to treated Lumber

A number of alternatives are available, such as untreated wood, alternatively treated wood, stone, brick, steel, materials made from recycled plastics, cement board panels, concrete blocks, and concrete.

Redwood, Eastern red cedar (juniper), Western red cedar, black locust, and bald cypress are domestic wood species that are naturally more decay-resistant than others.

CCE of Greene county offers these tips use rough cut hemlock (2” thick) and put a few inches of stone under the wood  to slow down the rot to some degree.

This publications is aimed at commerical growers and is from 2002 but may be of interests: Organic Alternatives to Treated Lumber

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