Looking for large structural timber with greater environmental, economical and performance benefits? New research conducted by the Department of Wood Science at the University of British Columbia (UBC) proves Pacific HemFir is a wood that works. The findings led to a code upgrade by the Technical Committee on Engineering Design in Wood, the Canadian Standard. HemFir has been tested for design value before, so what made the timber industry sit up and take notice this time? Simple, the study was based on a substantially more comprehensive methodology. Previous testing measured … small pieces of clear wood, specially chosen without knots or checks. [This] is not the most precise way to determine the true strength of oversized wood used in heavy construction. Headed by Dr. Frank Lam, an updated mode of measurement was designed specifically for industrial-size dimensions. Called In-Grade Test, it uses large swaths of solid-sawn timber cut directly from the log.