NORTHWEST BRIEFING

STAMP OF DECEIT: It has been compared to forgery and counterfeiting. It could cost millions. The Mounties have been called in. But the case involves nothing more glamorous than lumber grading.

Mismarked lumber has been turning up at building sites in and around Seattle for months, for a time halting or delaying construction at more than 60 projects, and attracting a legion of inspectors to gauge the extent and hazards of the problem. In British Columbia, where the misgraded lumber was sold, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have entered the investigation.

As it leaves a commercial mill, lumber is evaluated and stamped for its construction quality by an independent grader who, along with an authorized stamp, is part of a tightly regulated system to assure safe and durable wood frame construction. But in the Seattle case, someone has replaced the original markings on the wood with seemingly official upgraded stamps. Superior grades can be worth as much as five times a lesser grade.

The re-stamped lumber has been traced to a British Columbia wholesaler who denies any responsibility for the fraudulent markings. The shipments apparently were restricted to the past five months in the Puget Sound area. But--knock wood--building inspectors and engineers are on alert for any new appearances of the substandard timber.