I suppose it all depends on how fancy your decking is. We have wooden steps outside made of decking planks and I've used salt on them for several years. But we regard them as there to be used, and to be walked on. We don't much care what they look like - and we don't want to fall down! So rock salt is the lesser of two evils. The steps are supported by hefty wooden pillars, and still seem perfectly strong. We have a wooden walkway outside too, but that is covered with non-slip matting and non-slip screwed-on strips. The strips are the most effective; really good - I can't remember which brand we chose, but we have something very like these: https://www.safetread.co.uk/decking-strips
Rock salt does indeed dry wood out if you leave it on for any length of time. But we brush the salt off our steps as soon a the ice has melted - that takes about an hour, maybe. That way, the wood is not exposed to the salt for too long. However, in cold spells, ice forms again overnight, so the salting and brushing has to be repeated. This is, as I have said, the lesser of two evils as far as we are concerned. But it might not be acceptable to other people.
Cat litter - the gritty sort, not the sort that makes clumps - is sometimes recommended as an alternative to salt (for example, here: https://www.londondeckingcompany.co.uk/news/dont-let-timber-decking-become-ice-rink-winter/ ) But I have never tried this. In the old days, I can remember my father scattering clinker from our solid-fuel stove on icy paths. That worked, but it's not available now, and it would scratch decking surfaces, too.
Some people suggest pouring boiling water on the ice, for example here: https://www.lawsons.co.uk/blog/landscaping/how-to-safely-remove-ice-snow-from-your-decking But surely the water would freeze, and create more ice?
This is probably no help now, in the ice and snow, but a friend of mine uses Osmo Anti-Slip Decking Oil on their decking and says that it is very good for normal weather conditions.