YEs, the driftwood has to be properly treated. I use a pressure washer. Most of the driftwood I find is cedar, and when you pressure wash it, it turns red. I pressure wash all of it regardless of type because it reveals a lot of interesting patterns under all that accumulated mucky stuff. Then I let it dry in the sun and I hose it down again or let the rains take care of it for a week or so. Seems to have worked out OK so far.
