Head south of Atlanta, away from the skyscrapers and 12-lane highways, with an ever-so-slight turn toward the coast before Northern Florida, and you’ll find yourself in Moultrie, Georgia—and square in the heart of pine country. Longleaf and slash pine trees, both varieties of Southern yellow pine, have long been recognized as yielding the finest lumber. And they’re the only trees our lumber mill of nearly 20 years, Canfor Southern Pine (formerly Beadles Lumber), uses for its products. But the company doesn’t just supply us with your, ahem, run-of-the-mill pine boards. To begin with, the family-owned business, certified under the Sustainable Forestry Initiative for measures to responsibly manage its land and protect wildlife habitat, allows the trees to grow 40 to 45 years before harvest. This ensures the pines have the utmost structural integrity. Then, the timber is processed into lumber, stacked, and kiln-dried, rendering it even more stable.

Once dry, the lumber gets graded, and this is where Canfor is a cut above the rest. Each piece first passes through a “thumper.” Using sonar technology, this grading machine sends a vibration through the board to calculate its density. Density value is critical in determining a piece of lumber’s strength. Pieces that rate a certain high level at this stage are marked as candidates for Canfor’s Machine Stress Rated (MSR) lumber. MSR lumber must meet or exceed specific strength and visual characteristics set by the American Lumber Standard Committee. These boards undergo more testing, including a stress test, and third-party inspection. Finally, MSR candidate pieces are visually inspected by one of Canfor’s certified lumber graders and separated into different grades. The strongest and most pristine—no wane or cracks—are categorized as “Diamond MSR.” Diamond boards are pulled exclusively for Deltec.

“Consistent with our belief that a superior home begins with superior raw materials, Canfor is and has been the perfect partner,” says John Nicholson, Deltec’s director of purchasing. “The high quality lumber coupled with our uncompromising attention to quality fabrication results in Deltec trusses easily judged as the best in the home construction industry,” he explains, “trusses ready to stand strong no matter what Mother Nature throws their way.”