In recent years in North America, studs made from short lengths of lumber connected by finger-jointing have gained popularity due to their improved straightness when compared to solid wood studs. To gauge performance when exposed in exterior applications, Forintek installed an above-ground field test of CCA-treated and untreated 2x4 spruce-pine-fir finger-jointed studs in 1980. After eighteen years of exposure, the CCA-treated material was free from decay, compared to moderate decay present in untreated samples.