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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
PAGE 4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015 HOME & GARDEN Sustainable, locally grown Albus wood good for fencing BY SAM BARBEE HERMISTON HERALD In recent years, Mike McKamey of All That Wood in Hermiston was having trouble acquiring enough old-growth Western red cedar to provide enough fence board for his custom- ers. Two years ago, Lee Jam- erson, a salesman from the Collins Companies, a forest product company based in Portland, asked McKamey if he was interested in a new type of lumber, know as Pa- cific Albus wood. Jamerson brought it, McKamey liked it and he kept some in his yard. Pacific Albus is a hybrid poplar hardwood almost perfect for building. It is also a local product — bred, grown and harvested at the Boardman Tree Farm. McKamey sat on the new Albus wood for about a year to see how it would weather. Like all wood that is untreated with stain or paint, it grays with mois- ture, a side-effect of rot. But, the wood keep its in- tegrity as it grays and re- mains strong and sturdy. After the year was up and he was satisfied with how it handled the year’s worth of sun, wind and moisture, McKamey began to sell the “next genera- tion’s fenceboard,” a name he came up with to create interest. Since last April, he said for every 10 customers who come and buy fence- board, seven buy the Albus and that number may grow to eight soon. He said some still prefer the more estab- lished Western red cedar, but the Pacific Albus is be- ginning to catch on. SAM BARBEE PHOTO These 14 boards show the difference between treated and untreated albus. The three gray boards on the right are two years old and have been outside that long, while the three on the right have been treated and have been outside for two years. The boards on the left, out for a year, have all been treated with stain. “Last year I just came up with the name ‘next gener- ation’s fenceboard’ for the simple fact that it’s a sus- tainable product that we’re able to grow and harvest (locally). “The fact that being able to bring something to the public that’s a sustainable product that’s really excit- ing.” A main difference be- tween the Western red ce- dar and the Pacific Albus is how it takes paint. Cedar must be primed before ap- plying any coats of paint, otherwise it will begin to peel when exposed to any levels of moisture. That isn’t an issue with Pacific Albus. Paint can be applied directly to the wood and it’ll hold, and stain goes on easily, as well. It’s another reason McKamey dubbed it “the next gener- ation of fenceboard,” and another reason it’s been so popular. Plus, with the way Albus grays, it becomes an attractive option to those who don’t want to stain it, who just want to put it up and have it turn its unusual shade of blue-gray. How- ever, McKamey suggested that if sprinklers are close to the fence, it should be treated anyway. “Even though it’s going to go gray, the sprinklers are going to the fence,” McKamey said. “My favor- ite thing to people is — I al- ways explain to them: think about where you put your fence up and where you put your sprinklers. You can water your fence as much as you want, but it’s not going to grow. You’re just going to ruin it.” Albus is also a stronger grain than cedar. When cut into narrow slats, cedar has a tendency to split when screws or nails are inserted. To demonstrate Pacific Al- bus’ grain strength, McK- amey cut it into slats and SEE ALBUS/10 Get a High Efficient Heating & Air Conditioning System in your home i nstalled for as low as 65 a month An Eclipse Home Comfort System Includes: TIME’S OUT! 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