Teton County Wyoming Bans Wood Shake Roofs due to Fire Risk

Beginning March 1, 2021 new installation of wood shake roofs are no longer allowed in Teton County, Wyoming and homes in Jackson Holes’ wildland-urban interface zone. The Teton County Board of Commissions voted to prohibit wood roofs in areas where wildfires are a risk.

Teton County and Jackson Hole Homeowners Experience Severe Wildfire Concern

While fire-treated wood roofs have been an option for Teton County homeowners, new roofs installed after March 1, 2021 will not include wood shake shingles.

Chemicals and preservatives can be added to wood shakes to make them temporarily fire retardant, but those chemicals need to be re-applied every so often to maintain fire resistance. Moving forward, even fire treated wood shake roofs will be banned in an attempt to mitigate fire risk and save lives.

Since Jackson Hole is in Grand Teton National Park, there are federal guidelines that must be followed. One of those important guidelines is WUI (Wildland Urban Interface). The WUI code includes the identification and evaluation of building product materials that resist flame spread to reduce fire concern. The necessary requirement of WUI is that the exterior of a structure resist the entry of embers, fire radiation, and be ignition resistant during a wildfire. Jackson Hole also experiences extreme weather, most notably heavy snow and dramatic temperature changes.

Fire Marshalls urge homeowners not to install wood shake roofs

Wildfires in the United States have been surging for the past 5 years. In 2017, more than 47,000 wildfires burned over 8 million acres across California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming. Jackson Hole and Teton County Wyoming are notorious for extreme weather events. From dry conditions to heavy snow and intense hail, a wood shake roof degrades in this climate and is a severe fire risk. Wood is a naturally flammable material that ignites easily and wood shake shingle roofs put homeowners and property owners in danger.

Though wood roofs can provide a stunning look, they are not the best choice when exposed to certain weather. Wood roofs are a fire hazard and are hard to put out. Wood is naturally flammable so who knows how reliable the use of fire retardant chemicals is. In high wind, wood shake shingles can be ripped off and broken in high winds. When snowed on, wood absorbs some of the water which causes curling and erosion leaving your roof looking staggered and brittle. Since wood pieces are fragile, hail storms can result in bruises in the wood, cracks, breaks, and holes in your roof. Too much exposure to the sun will leave your roof looking faded and dried out. Overall, wood is a dated roofing material and replacing wood shake shingles with more durable and fire resistant roof materials is the best long term decision for many communities.

5 Problems with Wood Roofs

1. Mold, Mildew & Moss

Wood naturally degrades over time and is prone to moss, mildew, mold, lichens, and insects. All of these will rot wood and eat away at your roof. Moss will grow between wood shakes and will feed on moisture build up on a roof. If mold is left untreated overgrowth will lift the wood shake shingles and leave your roof deck exposed to the elements. When exposed to excess amounts of water, cedar shakes can curl which can lead to leaking. If you live in a snowy climate, when snowed on a wood roof will absorb some of that water which can lead to curling and erosion and will leave your roof looking staggered and brittle. While cleaning products can be used to fight these issues and improve a wood roof’s longevity, using products are a time consuming out-of-pocket hassle. Also, some products can strip the natural wood color on the surface of shakes leaving your roof looking discolored and faded.

2. Fire Hazard

Wood is naturally flammable, thus wood roofs are an extreme fire hazard. While some consumers choose to use fire retardant chemicals on their wood roof, who knows how reliable those treatments are. Fire retardant chemical roof treatments also need to be re-applied every 3-5 years, which is yet again another out-of-pocket expense that needs to be done by a professional. Instead, choose a stand alone Class A Fire Rated roofing material like CeDUR Roofing Shakes. CeDUR shakes are by far the best looking and best performing alternative to wood shakes. Watch this video to see their extreme fire resistance.

3. Distortion

When wood shakes are cut, natural stresses in the wood are released from cutting the wood. Over time, the shakes curl, warp, and cup. After a few years in the sun the wood shakes will begin to dry out and dehydrate, causing them to distort in shape and size. Dried wood curls which can expose the roof deck and potentially cause roof leaking.

4. Maintenance

Maintenance is crucial if you want to keep a wood roof looking and performing up to standards. This includes removing pine needles, leaf litter, tree litter, and cleaning with a power washer. Organic material build up can begin to rot a wood roof and attract insects and small critters like squirrels, mice, raccoons and birds. If your home is located in a wet climate like Washington, Oregon, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Minnesota, New York, Michigan, Wisconsin, or Illinois it is best to expect to put more time and energy into your wood roof than normal. More time, care, and attention needs to be given to your wood roof because rotting, moisture, mold, mildew, and freeze/thaw issues can severely damage a wood roof. Keep in mind that wood pieces (depending on the species) can be fragile. If you live in a hail prone state like Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, or Colorado a hail storm can cause severe damage to your wood roof including breaks, cracks, and holes in your roof.

5. Cost

Wood roofs require a high upfront investment and installation by a roofing contractor that has experience installing cedar wood shakes. Nowadays, contractors install mostly asphalt shingles and occasionally premium roofing products, so finding a reliable local contractor that has experience installing wood requires homeowners to pay a premium. If you live in a mountain town or area that is prone to wildfires, your wood roof will require fire retardant chemicals and treatments. These fire retardant chemicals need to be re-applied often which can be a costly and unplanned out-of-pocket expense for homeowners. Also, it is best to educate yourself and ask your roofing contractor or your roofing distributor about the quality and source of the cedar wood shakes that will be installed on your roof. Will it be new growth cedar wood shakes that will be installed or will it be old growth cedar wood shakes that will be installed? What tree species will your roof be; western red cedar, white oak, cypress, eastern white pine? Will the wood be sourced from Canada, if not where are they from?

Choose the Best Alternative

CeDUR Synthetic Composite Roofing Shakes

While wood roofs provide your home with an attractive look and personality, they do present many problems. Eventually a wood roof will need to be repaired or completely replaced. There is a way to get the same wood shake appearance and even get better performance characteristics; the solution is CeDUR Shakes. CeDUR simulated wood shakes are the most realistic and durable faux shake shingle roofing material on the market. Nothing comes close to matching the authentic wood look like these high performance synthetic roofing products.

As beautiful as natural wood shake shingles may seem, it is not your best option and comes with countless problems. CeDUR's synthetic shake shingles are a much more durable option that has virtually no issues and is low maintenance. CeDUR's shingles are also environmentally and eco-friendly compared to natural cedar shakes, adding to the benefits of choosing them compared to other roofing options. CeDUR is also stand alone Class A fire rated and does not require a fire resistant underlayment during installation.

CeDUR shakes are specifically engineered to look exactly like natural cedar wood shakes but they are completely resistant to fire, they do not rot or degrade over time, and they require little maintenance. There is a reason why roofing contractors, architects, roofing distributors, HOA’s, custom home builders, property managers, and homeowners across the world trust CeDUR - we are the best synthetic composite roofing shake ever made.

CeDUR Roofs Provide The Best Fire Protection

While wildfires throughout the West are becoming deadlier and more frequent, CeDUR strives to manufacture the best synthetic composite roofing materials that provide Stand Alone Class A Fire Resistance.

In the event of a fire, flames spread roof to roof, with embers from the fire being a major cause of traveling fire damage. Using a roofing product that self extinguishes in the event of a fire has the potential to save properties and save lives. In terms of installation, you can lay CeDUR shakes down on top of 30# felt and you have a Class A Fire Rated roofing system.