The timbers used for building purposes in the U.K. and on the Continent of Europe are mainly softwoods. The two types of wood most used are redwood (Pinus sylvestris) and whitewood (Picea abies or Picea sitchensis). Other species are used to a lesser extent when considerations such as a long length requirement or width requirement demand the use of, for example, hemlock, Douglas fir or Parana pine. Traditionally redwood has been favoured in the U.K. for use as external joinery timber where the decay risk is high, and to date it is still used very extensively for this purpose. Whitewood on the other hand is used for carcassing and internal work. This pattern of usage is not reflected on the Continent and the rest of the world. This traditional situation may not continue to be with us indefinitely. In 1973, supply difficulties forced some U.K. external joinery manufacturers to use whitewood, and current timber production trends make a recurrence of this situation a likely probability. Already spruce is being used in laminated beams for swimming pool roofing and in flat roofs. In both situationa there is a high risk of fungal decay. It is with a view to this wider utilisation of whitewood that this paper is presented as a 'state-of-the-art' report.

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