Stewards of the Environment

Green crossties are a 100% renewable resource with natural give to make them longer lasting and better for the environment than other materials. At Gross & Janes Co, we take pride in wise use of resource conservation. We select-cut only mature trees and focus on salvageable timber. Our foresters are trained in the best land management practices and harvesting techniques.

Gross & Janes Co. led the crosstie supply industry for research and development of environmentally safe preservatives, like borate. With more than a decade of in-track testing results, we currently are partnering with the University of Tennessee to develop a coating for our borate treated ties, which will extend track life even further and eliminate the use of any creosote. This would provide an environmentally acceptable alternative for disposal of spent ties.

The objective of the work is to build on the environmental and cost benefits of borates without compromising their three major technical attributes:

• Prevention of stack burn during air seasoning, so we start with a perfect tie
• Provision of penetration so we prevent interior decay in service and maximize cost performance
• Prevention of spike kill so we reduce maintenance costs and prevent premature failure