CANPLY NEWS

NEWS RELEASE
North Vancouver, BC (CA), February 10, 2011

Keith Iwasaki to assume role as CertiWood Manager, Quality Management Systems, replacing Dale Black who is retiring

Keith Iwasaki, CertiWood Quality Coordinator, has been appointed Manager, Quality Management Systems, effective February 17, 2011.  Keith is succeeding Dale Black, who recently announced his retirement after a 39 year career with the Association.

Keith, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Forestry degree from the University of British Columbia, joined the CANPLY Certification and Quality Services Department in January 2000 after working in the lumber sector for seven years. He became the Supervisor, CanadaWood Services in 2003, when the Association first began to offer services outside of CANPLY’s core mandate.  Successes in this area supported an Association decision in 2006 to broaden its scope of product certification to include a variety of engineered wood products, and Keith took on his current role with the attendant formation of CertiWood. In 2009, Keith became one of CertiWood’s two new ASQ-Certified Calibration Technicians when CertiWood once again expanded it range of services to include ISO 17025 accredited calibration.

Keith can be reached at 604-981-4186 or iwasaki@certiwood.com.

Dale Black Retiring from CertiWood - February 16, 2011

Dale Black, Manager Quality Management Systems, recently announced he will retire on February 16, 2011, concluding a record length 39 year career with the Association.

Dale started with the Council of Forest Industries of British Columbia (COFI) in January 1972 as a Plywood Quality Control Technician. He was promoted to Inspector in 1975 after COFI implemented the first Canadian plywood industry-wide third party quality assurance program, and took responsibility for quality certification operations in 1986. He soon became a key part of the team negotiating recognition by Japan as an FTO, enabling COFI to be a world leader for foreign certification with the JAS mark. When the Plywood Sector of COFI restructured as the Canadian Plywood Association (CANPLY), Dale became the Manager of Operations Services, and continued as the workhorse behind gaining other international accreditations for the Association to facilitate access to key markets including the USA and the EU. Dale took on his current role in 2006, when CANPLY evolved into CertiWood to reflect the Association’s broadened scope of product certification for various engineered wood products.

Dale is sincerely thanked for his invaluable contributions and dedicated service to the Canadian engineered wood products industry and the Association. Dale and his wife, Karen, now look forward to more time to travel and commence new adventures. CertiWood and its member companies wish them the very best.

Dale can be reached at 604-981-4185 or black@certiwood.com.

October 2010

CertiWood is relocating October 30 to a new facility located:

#100 - 375 Lynn Avenue, North Vancouver BC
All other contact information will remain the same:

Toll free: 1-866-981-4177
Tel: 604 981-4190
Fax: 604 985-0342


May 5, 2010

CertiWood™ is currently featured in the May Edition of WoodBusiness - North America's most comprehensive source of information for and about the wood business — forests to finance, mills to markets, biomass energy to green building, hands on to high tech. www.woodbusiness.ca

Click to read and watch the CertiWood™ "Layers of Certainty" containing an indepth feature article and video report by Ricki Normandin

March 30, 2010

Canadian Building Code Requirements for Structural Plywood Panels

Product Certification:

Building codes applicable in Canadian jurisdictions specify the use of products manufactured to specific standards. Wood-based panels (plywood and OSB) used for subfloors, roof and wall sheathing in Housing and Small Buildings (Part 9 construction) must conform to CSA standards. Non-conformance can result in rejection by building code inspectors.

Panel Thickness:

CSA plywood standards specify requirements for marking of "non-standard" thicknesses, which is important for code compliance verification. For products manufactured to prescriptive Canadian plywood standards (CSA
O121 Douglas Fir Plywood, CSA O151 Canadian Softwood Plywood, or CSA O153 Poplar Plywood), the applicable building code specifies a minimum required thickness for floor, roof and wall sheathing applications. There is no allowance for the substitution of thinner (“scant” thickness) panels within prescriptive CSA standards; ie:

• 11/32” / 8.7 mm plywood can not be substituted for applications specifying
9.5 mm
(e.g. use as roof sheathing with supported edges @ 24” o.c.)

• 15/32” / 11.9 mm can not be substituted for applications specifying 12.5 mm
(e.g. use as roof sheathing with unsupported edges @ 24” o.c.)

• 19/32” / 15.1 mm can not be substituted for applications specifying 15.5 mm
(e.g. use as subflooring @ 16” o.c.)

Canadian Sheathing Grades:

Regular sheathing grades specified in CSA standards are not identical to CSA-permissible Custom Grades, or typical grades in other standards such as US PS1-07. Such products would not be regularly acceptable for Canadian code applications.

Plywood certified with the CANPLY mark provides third party assurance that products are manufactured to conform to all applicable codes and standards.

For more information, contact us
Toll Free: 1-866-981-4177

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