As with any other natural resource, building with wood starts with ensuring each piece is up to snuff. And while there are machines to help vis-a-vis bots spotting knots, human eyes and judgement remain essential.  To help expand that human portion of the grading project, the Pacific Lumber Inspection Bureau (PLIB) has rolled out the Fundamentals of Lumber Grading. The online portal offers training modules designed to get lumberyards and mills up to speed on the basics of grading lumber, though PLIB says the course is an “ideal training tool for anyone involved in buying, selling or trading lumber.”  The course also may be useful for architects, engineers, specifiers or code officials. Really, anyone who wants to acquire the skills needed to sort the “wheat from the chaff” regarding what constitutes code-compliant boards. PLIB’s curriculum covers National Grade Rule standards for studs, light framing, structural light framing, and joists and planks.