Results in from Study of Wood Fiber Surfacing for Play Areas March 11, 2005
Reports are available on the results of a study the Board has sponsored on engineered wood fiber, a popular material for playground surfaces. This study explored the use of certain treatments that can be used to enhance its accessibility while remaining soft enough to cushion falls.
Conducted by the U.S. Forest Service's Forest Products Laboratory in Madison , Wisconsin, this study involved full-scale field assessments of surface stabilizers deemed most effective in earlier phases. The tests were conducted over a 10-month period in state parks in Wisconsin. The results, as outlined in the report Stabilized Engineered Wood Fiber for Accessible Playground Surfaces, indicate that one type of binding agent was sufficiently effective in meeting the dual demands of pliability and firmness while remaining holding up to outdoor exposure during the test period. A companion study was conducted on trail surfaces: Stabilized Engineered Wood Fiber for Accessible Trails.
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