Sustainable Lumber Company has announced the availability of Montanafied Spruce, a thermally modified wood siding grown, modified, milled, and sold in Montana. The product takes high-altitude Engelmann spruce (Picea engelmannii) and permanently changes its cell structure with heat and steam in a controlled, low-oxygen thermal modification kiln. No preservatives, toxins, or chemicals are added.
The announcement follows more than a year of research, development, and process refinement. Montanafied is positioned as a chemical-free alternative to pressure-treated lumber and imported thermally modified or tropical hardwood siding, built for Montana’s freeze-thaw cycles, high UV, and temperature swings from sub-zero nights to summer days above 100°F.
“If you have spent a winter in western Montana, you already know what this wood has survived,” said Ryan Palma, owner and CEO of Sustainable Lumber Company. “Montana Grown. Montana Made. Montana Tough. The species, the place, and the process belong together. We are not importing a foreign species. We are finishing a tree that already lived in this climate.”
Why Montana spruce is the starting point
Montana Spruce is Engelmann spruce from cool, moist Rocky Mountain sites, often from about
5,000 feet toward the timberline. A short growing season produces tight grain, Sustainable Lumber Company reports an average of 25 or more growth rings per inch, along with fine texture, low sap content compared with Douglas fir and pine, and inherent stability. Untreated Engelmann is not a naturally durable exterior species. Thermal modification is the durability step, without chemicals, ocean freight, large carbon footprint, or tariffs.
How thermal modification changes the wood
The industrial process, refined at commercial scale in Finland in the 1990s after scientific work dating to U.S. Forest Products Laboratory experiments in 1915, heats wood to roughly
180–230°C (356–446°F) using only heat and steam. Hemicelluloses and simple sugars that feed fungi and insects are broken down. Free hydroxyl groups that bind water are reduced. Lignin is rearranged and cross-linked. The finished boards absorb substantially less moisture, move less on the wall, and resist decay without added preservatives.
According to the company, thermally modified wood typically holds 40 to 60 percent less moisture than untreated wood at outdoor humidity, with a corresponding drop in swelling, shrinking, cupping, and checking. Biological durability is often described in the Class 1 to Class 2 range for above-grade exterior use. Properly installed thermally modified siding is cited for 25 to 30-plus years of service. Left unfinished, Montanafied™ weathers from a uniform chocolate brown to a silver gray patina.
Built for a short supply chain
Most thermally modified wood species sold in North America are sourced and shipped from Europe, Africa, New Zealand, Chile, Canada, or the southeastern United States. Montanafied™ spruce is harvested from nearby SFI-certified forests, the company cites sourcing within about 150 miles of its facility, then modified and sold in Montana. However, factory direct shipping is available throughout the continental United States.
Palma said the local chain is the point: fewer markups, no container ship freight costs, no import tariffs, a smaller transportation footprint, and dollars that stay with Montana loggers, truck drivers, and mill workers. In stock profiles are intended to cut the long lead times common with imported wood cladding.
Availability
• Species: Montana Engelmann spruce, thermally modified with heat and steam only
• Sizes: 1×6 and 1×8; lengths 8 to 16 feet
• Profiles: nickel gap tongue and groove and butt joint; smooth or wire-brushed texture
• Finish: unfinished, stained color options coming soon
• Fire treatment: Class A, WUI-zone-compliant also available
Product details and quotes are available at www.sustainablelumberco.com/product/montanafied-exterior-siding.
About Sustainable Lumber Company
Sustainable Lumber Company is a Missoula, Montana manufacturer of reclaimed, salvaged, and sustainable wood floors, walls, ceilings, and exterior cladding. The company is built around artisan millwork, mill direct sales, and hard working families. In addition to Montanafied™ exterior siding, Sustainable Lumber Company has provided high-end luxury hardwood flooring for 15+ years. You can visit its Sales and Showroom by appointment at 2935 Stockyard Rd., Unit L-1, Missoula, MT 59808.
###
Contact
Sustainable Lumber Company
Ryan Palma, Owner / CEO
2935 Stockyard Rd., Unit L-1, Missoula, MT 59808
(406) 642-7120
[email protected]
www.sustainablelumberco.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sustainablelumberco/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sustainablelumber/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIBJ469ULSjhAjEC7wgUbNA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/sustainable-lumber-co-/
Source: 38 Digital Market News
Release ID: 2649389
