Industry Terms and Definitions
Below you can find a glossary of terms related to the lumber and timber industry to help you better understand SPTP’s products and services and how they can benefit your organization.
Teredo
A marine borer that damages untreated wood by drilling holes in it
Termites
Insects that destroy wood by eating the wood fiber; termites are social insects that exist in most parts of the US; they are most destructive in the coastal states and the Southwest; termites can enter wood through the ground or above the ground, although the subterranean type is most common in the US; they eat the softer springwood first and prefer sapwood over heartwood
Timber
1. Standing trees, stumpage 2. A size classification of lumber that includes pieces that are at least five inches in their smallest dimension; also classified as beams, stringers, girders, etc. 3. In the British and Australian trades, this term is used to describe all sizes of lumber
Tip
The top of a pole or piling
Tongue & groove
Lumber machined to have a groove on one side and a protruding tongue on the other so that pieces will fit snugly together, with the tongue of one fitting into the groove of the other
Treating plant
An operation where wood products are treated with preservative or fire retardant
Trim saw
A set of saws, usually circular, used to cut lumber to various lengths by lowering individual blades to make contact with the lumber as it passes beneath the saws on a moving chain
TSO
Treating service only; a company that treats wood products for others for a fee
