Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Wood, Paper & Green Building

Tariffs as a driver in the evolution of alternative building materials

By Alex Carrick
Daily Commercial News
August 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Technological advances are also primary drivers of construction material innovations. …Also, there are new types of structures that are economically viable only thanks to their novel employment of existing but relatively fresh-on-the-scene materials. …Plus, external economic factors can pack a wallop and play an important role. Obviously, at present, there are the cost consequences of the exorbitant tariff structure attached to the usage of steel, aluminum, and copper. …Mass timber is making a bid to be the wall, floor, ceiling, and load-bearing substitute for steel and cement in building construction projects. The selling points laser in on sustainability and the potential for prefabrication. The subset products all see dimensional lumber bonded together. Glulam has grains running parallel; cross-laminated (CLT) has grains fashioned perpendicularly; and nail-laminated (NLT) and dowel laminated (DLT) are obvious in how they are tied together. …Finally, kudos should be awarded to the Green Building Council. 

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Canfor CEO, Susan Yurkovich on the Softwood Lumber Board’s role in driving demand

The Softwood Lumber Board
July 31, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, United States

Susan Yurkovich

The lumber industry has made incredible progress on codes and standards and in the market share for wood construction. …This month, SLB Director Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of Canfor, highlights how the SLB is increasing demand for lumber in both new and traditional applications. “At Canfor, we believe the future of building is rooted in sustainability, and lumber is central to that future,” she says. “As a company that operates in both Canada and the United States, we’re proud to be a part of a North American industry that is advancing the use of lumber in both traditional and emerging applications. The Softwood Lumber Board is leading that charge by growing the market for mass timber and highlighting the benefits of using responsibly sourced materials. Their exceptional efforts are playing a critical role in positioning lumber as a renewable, low-carbon solution while helping to drive demand for smart, sustainable construction.”

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Secure your spot at Woodrise

naturally.wood
July 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

This year, Vancouver is hosting the 5th edition of the Woodrise International Congress from September 22–25, 2025, at the Vancouver Convention Centre. This edition will focus on building smarter and taller with wood showcasing solutions using mass timber. Learn about sustainable and resilient building practices and gain insight into technological advancements in wood construction. Explore the future of timber construction through a series of exclusive offsite tours, exhibiting mass timber buildings here in Vancouver and surrounding regions. Highlights include four innovative projects from B.C.’s Mass Timber Demonstration Program. Join over 2,000 participants from more than 25 countries, hear from 60+ international speakers, and take part in exclusive networking and B2B opportunities.

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Canadian Wood Council Applauds Nova Scotia’s Prioritization of Wood Products for Construction and Heating in Public Buildings

Canadian Wood Council
July 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

OTTAWA, ON – The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) applauds the Province of Nova Scotia’s recent announcement regarding the prioritization of wood products for construction and heating in public buildings – a strategic move that supports economic growth, climate resilience, and innovation in the province’s forestry sector. By committing to mass timber and other solid wood products for construction, alongside the use of wood pellets, biomass, and other products made from forest residuals for heat and energy, Nova Scotia is taking a leadership approach to development that aligns environmental stewardship with economic opportunity. This initiative reinforces the principles of a circular economy built on sustainable forest management. This comprehensive approach to fibre utilization ensures the province is maximizing the value of harvested wood and reducing waste while simultaneously supporting jobs, stimulating rural economies, and strengthening local and regional supply chains across the forestry and construction sectors.

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Trends shaping the future of wood flooring

Floor Covering News
July 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

As we’re now well into 2025, the hardwood flooring industry continues to evolve in response to broader shifts in how people design and inhabit their spaces. From residential builds to commercial interiors, there’s a growing appetite for natural materials that offer both durability and design versatility—and wood remains a standout. With its timeless appeal and ability to suit a wide range of design aesthetics, it continues to be a foundational material in interior architecture. A key trend gaining traction is the use of tactile, textured finishes. Glossy surfaces are making way for more organic aesthetics, like wire-brushed, matte or hand-scraped textures that bring warmth and visual depth to a room. These finishes complement today’s more relaxed and natural design styles and offer practical benefits, like helping to conceal everyday wear in high-traffic environments.

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Wood Connections – News for BC’s Wood Products Industry

BC Wood Specialties Group
August 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Read the latest newsletter from BC Wood, headlines include:

  • Premier Eby to Open the 22nd Annual Global Buyers Mission: BC Wood is thrilled to announce that Premier David Eby will open the 22nd Annual Global Buyers Mission on Friday, September 5th. His welcome address will set the stage for the opening of the tradeshow.
  • The Tariff Challenge & Market Diversification Panel at the GBM: Minister Ravi Parmar will introduce the panel. Moderator, Mo Amir will lead an in depth discussion with panelists Nick Arkel, Liz Kovach, and Kurt Niquidet.
  • 2025 BC Timber Building Technical Tour: The UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) announced that the British Columbia Timber Building Technical Tour has been rescheduled to October 20–24, 2025
  • Industrial Wood Finishing Certificate Program: CAWP has announced the program for the 2026 Industrial Wood Finishing Certificate Program.
  • BC Wood’s JC Lee will be attending Korea’s largest construction and architectural exhibition ‘KOREA BUILD WEEK 2026’

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The Tariff Challenge & Market Diversification Panel at the Global Buyers Mission 2025

The BC Wood Specialties Group
August 14, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

With recent U.S. decisions increasing countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber to over 35%, there’s an unprecedented level of uncertainty about how the market will be impacted. These escalating tariffs threaten to disrupt supply chains, inflate costs, and reshape the forestry industry. At BC Wood, we’re dedicated to helping you navigate these challenges. Which is why we will be hosting a Tariffs Panel at the Global Buyers Mission (September 4, 2025). Introduced by Minister Ravi Parmar, the panel will bring together top leaders to analyze the challenges, opportunities, and strategies amid escalating trade tensions. Moderated by Mo Amir, GM of SPF Precut Lumber, the panel will include: Nick Arkle, CEO, Gorman Brothers Lumber; Liz Kovach, President, Supply-Build Canada; and Kurt Niquidet, President, BC Lumber Trade Council.

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Investigating structural interactions in one-story segmented CLT shear walls: The role of floors, parapets, and lintels

By University of BC and FPInnovations
Science Direct
August 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Many numerical and experimental investigations have explored the behavior of CLT shear walls under lateral loads; however, there remains a gap in understanding the effect of structural interactions between wall panels and other structural elements, such as floors, parapets, and lintels in case of segmented CLT shear walls subjected to lateral loads. This study investigates the influence of these interactions on the lateral response of single-story multi-panel segmented CLT shear walls. For this purpose, various detailed numerical models that include floors, lintels and parapets are employed. The nonlinear behavior of connections is calibrated against existing test data to validate the accuracy of the finite element models in reproducing the hysteretic behavior of previously tested segmented CLT shear walls. 

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Feds give $10M to Canada’s first carbon capture cement plant, in Mississauga

By Abdul Matin Sarfraz
The National Observer
July 29, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Canada’s first commercial carbon capture cement facility is now under construction in Mississauga Ont., backed by $10 million in federal funding. The project is part of the country’s effort to reduce industrial emissions. The project, led by Calgary-based startup Carbon Upcycling in partnership with Ash Grove Cement, aims to capture carbon dioxide from cement production and turn it into a low-carbon material that can replace part of traditional cement. Minister Evan Solomon, … said “These collaborative projects supporting our climate goals and enhancing our global competitiveness”. The facility will use Carbon Upcycling’s technology to mix captured CO2 with steel byproducts like slag to create a powder similar to cement used in construction. Carbon Upcycling CEO Apoorv Sinha said the system could reduce emissions from cement by up to 40%. …Sinha said the new facility will store up to 150 kilograms of carbon dioxide in every tonne of low-carbon cement it produces.

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New mass-timber fire hall taking shape in Saanich’s Royal Oak

Saanich News
July 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The redevelopment of Saanich Fire Station No. 2 has reached a key milestone with the installation of its final roof panel. The new station, located in the Royal Oak neighbourhood, will replace the aging facility at Elk Lake and Royal Oak drives. The 23,000-square-foot, mass-timber building will accommodate up to 10 firefighters – double the current capacity – and house eight vehicles instead of two. …“This one-of-a-kind facility not only supports the expansion of our emergency response services… but also reinforces the district’s commitment to sustainable practices,” says Fire Chief Michael Kaye. Designed to meet LEED Gold and Energy Step Code level two standards, the building is intended to be net-zero carbon, helping Saanich meet its 2050 emissions targets. The district received $500,000 from the provincial Mass Timber Demonstration Program, which supports the growth of B.C.’s mass timber industry.

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PNE Amphitheatre / Freedom Mobile Arch in Vancouver

By Isabelle Lomholt
e-architect
July 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

@PNE

Revery Architecture’s PNE Amphitheatre / Freedom Mobile Arch will showcase mass timber in a precedent-setting starburst arch roof. The project leverages mass timber’s unique acoustic potential and biophilic character to deliver an unforgettable experience for performers and audiences as large as 10,000 people… The Amphitheatre’s defining feature is a starburst mass timber roof with 105-metre spans and 25-metre-high arcs, which provides weather protection and improved acoustics… The structure consists of 60 arches arranged in a series of 6 barrel vaults that intersect at diagonal planes. It will be the largest free-span mass timber roof in the world. …The massive starburst roof is the first of its kind to be realized in mass timber, showcasing innovation in the use of this material. The precedent-setting structure features both glulam and cross-laminated timber (CLT); the elegant arches leverage the superior strength-to-weight ratio of Douglas Fir glulam, while a Spruce-Pine-Fir CLT deck provides a structural diaphragm for stability.

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Is B.C. the leader in mass timber?

By Tanya Martins
Construction Canada
July 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

British Columbia remains at the forefront of mass timber design and implementation globally. The province has the highest number of mass timber buildings per capita of any other place in North America, and leads the country with more than 285 mass timber buildings. B.C.’s Mass Timber Action Plan has driven the expansion of mass timber construction, manufacturing, and workforce development across the province. This has increased the number of mass timber buildings and positioned B.C. as a critical exporter of knowledge and products to international markets. Metrics such as overall building count, advancements in carbon reduction, and the adoption of encapsulated mass timber construction (EMTC) standards in other regions all reflect our sustained leadership. Eric Andreasen, the vice-president of marketing and sales at Adera Development, spoke to Tanya Martins of Construction Canada and shed light on how B.C. is on its way to becoming the leader in mass timber development globally.

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Q&A: Kalesnikoff’s Andrew Stiffman talks mass timber

By Russell Hixson
SiteNews
July 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Andrew Stiffman

Kalesnikoff Mass Timber just opened a new 100,000-square-foot prefabrication and modular facility in Castlegar, B.C., expanding its vertically integrated mass timber operations—the first of its kind in North America. A fourth-generation, family-owned company founded in 1939, Kalesnikoff now produces a range of engineered wood products, including CLT and GLT panels, and supplies mass timber and prefabricated components to Western Canada, the U.S. Pacific Northwest, Japan, and Europe. The new facility enhances the company’s capacity to offer full modular construction solutions. SiteNews caught up with Kalesnikoff Mass Timber’s Vice President of Construction, Andrew Stiffman, to talk about the significance of this new capacity, the future of Canadian mass timber and some of his favourite projects ever.

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2025 Global Buyers Mission – limited booth spaces left!

BC Wood Specialties Group
July 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Join us for our 22nd Annual GBM September 4th to 6th, where we will host international buyers and specifiers from all around the world, to meet our Canadian suppliers in Whistler. If you are an industry member and thinking about exhibiting to get yourself in front of these buyers and decision-makers, ACT FAST!  We only have 5 booth spaces left, and they will go on a first-come basis. Industry surveys from 2024 indicated an anticipated $37 million in new sales from contacts made at the GBM. We anticipate many “new to GBM” Buyers again this year, and with hard work of our overseas staff, the continued assistance of the federal International Trade Commissioner Service and the provincial Trade & Investment Representatives abroad, we expect an excellent group of Buyers from across the globe. As usual, we will host BC Wood’s AGM, deliver Specifier Workshops and the exclusive Building Connections program. 

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George Brown College project helps drive Ontario’s mass timber construction strategy

By Robin MacLennan
Ontario Construction News
August 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — George Brown College’s (GBC) Limberlost Place has helped trigger major changes to Ontario’s building codes and is playing a key role in the province’s strategy to grow its mass timber construction sector, college officials say. The 10-storey academic building—Canada’s first institutional structure made from mass timber and designed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions—has served as a catalyst for the Ontario government’s Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan, unveiled on June 26. The action plan outlines four goals: Promote awareness and use of advanced wood construction; Remove regulatory barriers in codes and standards; Stimulate innovation and investment in advanced manufacturing; and Showcase successful projects to build industry confidence. Limberlost Place embodies all four goals. …By demonstrating the viability and benefits of mass timber at scale, George Brown College has positioned itself—and Ontario—as a leader in sustainable construction and advanced wood manufacturing.

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Mayor’s mass timber motion receives unanimous support from Halifax council

By Glenn MacDonald
The Chronicle Herald
August 6, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

There may have been dissension surrounding the Morris Street bikeway, but the Halifax mayor and regional council found common ground with mass timber. Mayor Andy Fillmore tabled a motion at Tuesday’s council meeting to direct the chief administrative officer to prepare a staff report that, with changes to land-use bylaws and amendments to a municipal planning strategy, would knock down barriers to mass timber construction to help expedite housing builds. That would include the potential to increase the height of built-form requirements from 10 to 12 storeys for mass timber construction. The motion passed unanimously. “The principal reason (for supporting the mayor’s motion) is that this unlocks some newfound potential in local supply,” Coun. Jean St-Amand (Bedford-Wentworth) said. “I think that’s something that can have a very positive impact to the acceleration of our ability and our capacity to build.

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Ontario’s prefab wood industry poised to deliver 24,000 homes annually — without new infrastructure

By Mike Phillips, Ontario Structural Wood Association
Ontario Construction News
August 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

In recent years, a growing number of reports and policy papers have proposed solutions to address Ontario’s short- and medium-term housing needs — pointing to off-site prefabrication as a key part of the solution. The Ontario Structural Wood Association (OSWA) believes there is already a cost-effective, immediate solution: using the existing capacity of the light wood framing (LWF) industry. What the industry needs is not more infrastructure, but a clear signal in the form of orders — and a commitment that those orders will continue, to support investments in manufacturing platforms. With that assurance, we can build what is needed. To demonstrate that Ontario already has this production capacity, OSWA conducted a survey of the LWF industry in spring 2025, with a particular focus on panel manufacturing. 

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Structural optimization methods for mass timber projects explored

By Don Procter
Daily Commercial News
August 5, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Mass timber’s profile is rising but many architects and engineers are still unfamiliar with how it can be integrated into their designs. Over-engineered solutions can lead to complications, resulting in wasted time, unnecessary costs and heightened execution risks. Design efficiency starts by emphasizing repetition and standardization in sections and connections, says Pierre-Yves Leroux, sales representative and technical adviser with Art Massif, a mass timber glulam manufacturer based in Saint-Jean-Port-Joli, about 80 kilometres southwest of Quebec City. Leroux, who presented a webinar, hosted by Woodworks Atlantic, covered structural optimization methods, moisture protection as well as anchor and connection details that can result in cost and time savings. …Leroux says Art Massif has developed a prefabrication process for glulam timber decking planks with attached plywood and a temporary membrane that reduces the time/risk of exposure of the structure to the elements. It can also eliminate up to 60 per cent of the installation time.

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Can charred wood help Nova Scotia farmers — and the climate?

By Moira Donovan
CBC News
August 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

In a rolling field in the Annapolis Valley, the soil in one row of grapevines is littered with charred fragments of wood that scientists and farmers hope will turn waste into a tool to improve the health of the soil and store carbon long term. …Research scientistVicky Lévesque’s work is just one of the projects underway as scientists and companies in Nova Scotia explore how biochar can be used and produced in the province. Lévesque is testing biochar on grapevines at 11 sites in the Valley to see how it affects carbon sequestration, soil biodiversity, plant growth and nutrient leaching. …”Canada can be a leader in tapping into these underutilized residues that come from the agricultural sector, forestry sector, municipal solid waste, forest fire wood,” he said. “Biochar is one of those integral components … that will help us move towards net zero.”

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Government Promotes Wood for Construction, Heating

The Government of Nova Scotia
July 17, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

The Province is making wood construction and heating a priority in public buildings. All departments have been directed to look for every opportunity to use mass timber, wood pellets, biomass, biofuels and other products made with wood that is leftover from sustainable harvesting and sawmilling. “Government is leading by example and using more wood products in our own buildings. It’s one of many steps our government is taking to make Nova Scotia more self-reliant and energy secure and to grow our economy and create jobs through innovation in our forestry sector,” said Public Works Minister Fred Tilley. Departments will prioritize wood products in new construction, renovations and conversions from oil heat. They will also make it a priority where applicable in projects that are partially or completely funded by the government. This focus aligns with the Nova Scotia Loyal program, reduces reliance on imports and enhances export markets.

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Federal legislation wouldn’t allow banks to ditch paper records

By Thomas Gnau
Dayton Daily News
July 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

If some banks or financial institutions have long been poised to abandon paper records, a representative to Congress is saying “Not so fast. US Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton, said he reintroduced his “Protecting Against Paperless and Electronic Requirement (PAPER) Act” recently. This legislation would prohibit financial institutions from abandoning paper records to use electronic bank statements. For many years, banks would print and mail monthly bank statements to all customers. For a while now, though, paper bank statements have been replaced by electronic statements. …The PAPER Act would bar financial institutions from restricting services based on a customer’s preference for paper statements, making certain that all Americans can participate in our banking system in a way that works best for them.” …In March, President Trump signed an executive order mandating that the federal government shift from paper-based payments to electronic payments.

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Softwood Lumber Board July Monthly Update

Softwood Lumber Board
July 31, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

These stories and more in the July update:

  • Mass Timber Competition Judges Review Innovative K-12 Projects: A panel of leading architects, engineers, and school construction experts convened in June to review 19 innovative project entries in the SLB and USDA Forest Service’s 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools.
  • Industry Leader Highlights the SLB’s Role in Driving Demand: SLB Director Susan Yurkovich, President and CEO of Canfor, highlights how the SLB is increasing demand for lumber in both new and traditional applications.
  • Design and Construction Pros Seek Light-Frame Education and Resources From WoodWorks: WoodWorks helps teams maximize the value proposition while achieving quality, code-compliant buildings. 
  • Faculty Workshop at Auburn Fast-Tracks Mass Timber Know-How: Twenty-five architecture faculty from 23 accredited university programs across 17 states gathered on Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design & Construction campus in late May for a three-day Timber Architecture Design Faculty Development Workshop, funded by the SLB and U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities. 

 

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Mass timber could combat germs in hospital settings

By Matthew Thibault
Construction Dive
July 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Mass timber may have antimicrobial benefits that could make it useful for hospital construction, according to a recent study from the University of Oregon. The research team found that when wood was exposed to a brief wetting, it tested lower for levels of bacterial abundance than an empty plastic enclosure used as a control. “People generally think of wood as unhygienic in a medical setting,” said Mark Fretz, assistant professor, co-director of the University of Oregon’s Institute for Health in the Built Environment and principal investigator for the study. “But wood actually transfers microbes at a lower rate than other less porous materials such as stainless steel.”

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Mass Timber Could Drive Forest Expansion and Cut Emissions

Yale School of the Environment – Yale University
July 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Replacing concrete and steel with mass timber in buildings could significantly reduce global carbon emissions and spur the expansion of intensively managed forests, a new study by Yale School of the Environment research scientists found. Published in Nature Communications, the study offers a comprehensive global analysis of how the widespread use of engineered wood products like cross-laminated timber (CLT) could reshape land use and impact carbon storage through the end of the century. The research team modeled three future adoption scenarios and found that switching to CLT in 30% to 60% of new urban buildings from 2020 to 2100 could reduce life-cycle greenhouse gas emissions by 25.6 to 39 gigatons of CO₂ equivalent, which is roughly equal to total annual global energy-related CO₂ emissions, which reached around 37.8 gigatons in 2024, according to the International Energy Agency. It could also expand productive forestland globally by as much as 36.5 million hectares — an area roughly the size of Germany— by 2100.

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City Explores Transition to Engineered Wood Construction

By Jorge Casuso
Santa Monica Lookout
August 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

In an effort to make a dent in Santa Monica’s carbon footprint, the City Council is expected to accept a grant from the mass timber industry to explore shifting its construction policies. The $100,000 grant from the Softwood Lumber Board would fund a program to help “evaluate the potential benefits and challenges of incorporating mass timber in new buildings,” according to the City staff report to the Council. …The initial funding would be awarded to up to five building design teams “to develop mass timber building designs in addition to a community partner to support outreach and implementation.” “Mass timber has the potential for greater reductions in embodied carbon emissions in construction projects than can be achieved from low-carbon concrete,” staff wrote. The transition from concrete construction to mass timber — which is an engineered wood product — would help the City’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions by an additional 26 percent by 2030

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Downtown Mass-Timber Tower Project Meets Resistance at Seattle Landmark Board

By Ryan Packer
The Urbanist
August 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

A Seattle proposal to add more housing above the historic Doyle Building near Pike Place Market is bringing out significant opposition, with nearby condominium owners seeking to utilize the only point of leverage they have: the city’s landmarks board. Clark/Barnes architects are working with the owners of the four-story building…. Their proposal would take advantage of a suite of newly approved state and city policies approved with the express purpose of making it easier to build housing. Architects propose retaining the facade and adding 12 additional floors of new construction. That new addition would consist of mass timber, allowing a smaller foundation and less weight on the historic building below.

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17 Oregon wood businesses share $9.6M in federal grant money

By Rich Christianson
Woodworking Network
August 1, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Forest Service is investing $9,622,000 to support a diverse range of 17 projects in Oregon through the Wood Innovations Program. End uses for the funding include creating innovative wood products, developing more markets to use mass timber and renewable energy, and increasing the capacity of wood processing and manufacturing facilities. “Oregon has the best wood products in the world, and federal funding opportunities like the Wood Innovations Program help keep our state at the forefront of timber innovation while uplifting our rural communities,” said Sen. Jeff Merkley. “These projects are a win-win to develop new Oregon-made wood products and to reduce the risk of high severity wildfires on our forests.”

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Here’s the pulp and paper story environmentalists ignore

By Bob Hassoldt, field forester
The Lewiston Tribune
July 27, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

…Now the beauty of paper is that it is not only recyclable, its also compostable, and wood fiber papers come from a renewable resource. However, a former paper industry executive stated that you can’t recycle paper forever. …But the use of virgin wood fiber is a major sticking point for the environmental activists. …While the environmental activists will show you a picture of a large stately tree in an old growth forest and tell you that it is going to be chopped up for tissue paper, the facts are a bit different. …What you’ll see are decks full of logs that have hollow or spongy centers, radial checks, logs that are small or crooked or were standing dead trees before they were cut down. …None of them could have been utilized to make lumber, veneer or poles.

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University of Oregon-led team named National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines semifinalist

By Thuy Tran, University Communications
University of Oregon
July 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

A University of Oregon-led initiative to revolutionize the mass timber sector in the Pacific Northwest has been selected as a semifinalist in the highly competitive National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines program. “This significant step forward for the University of Oregon, and its project to build an even stronger mass timber industry in our state,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. “Mass timber is revolutionizing the construction business with better and safer buildings. The U of O deserves major credit for earning this honor and I am confident it has both the capacity and talent to fully develop the employment and economic benefits of mass timber.” …The NSF Engine: Oregon Mass Timber Innovation Engine, led by principal investigator Judith Sheine, professor of architecture in the UO College of Design and director of design of the TallWood Design Institute, is among just 29 semifinalist teams nationally. 

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Stephen F. Austin State University unveils its first mass timber building

Stephen F. Austin State University
August 14, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

NACOGDOCHES, Texas – Stephen F. Austin State University officially unveiled the Pineywoods Dining Hall — the university’s first mass timber building and the first mass timber project in The University of Texas System — ushering in a new era of campus dining… “It is the first mass timber project in The University of Texas System. …it highlights what makes East Texas special and the unique opportunities we have as a region of our state to contribute to all of Texans and hopefully a new way of building buildings all across the country,” said Dr. Neal Weaver, SFA President. Weaver described the project as a symbol of Lumberjack perseverance. 

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How Much Wood Could a Museum Collect? Much More Than a Woodchuck Could!

By Erin Wunderlich
Smithsonian Magazine
August 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

The National Museum of Natural History is renowned for its iconic objects like the Hope Diamond and the Nation’s T. rex. With so many spectacular specimens, it could be easy to miss the museum’s wood collection. Which wood be a big mistake as these scientific samples form one of the world’s most important assemblages of lumber. “At the Museum Support Center, our collections storage facility in Maryland, we have about 43,000 wood specimens spanning over 3,000 genera — that makes us the second largest wood collection, or xylarium, in the United States and fifth largest in the world,” said research botanist Kenneth Wurdack, the curator of the museum’s wood collections. …The museum’s collections are a vital source for preservation of rare and extinct species, and woods are no exception. Unfortunately, threats like deforestation linked to agriculture and urbanization, as well as introduced diseases, have decimated the populations of several species of trees. 

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New York City announces 2025 cohorts of the NYC Mass Timber and Resilient Energy Studios

New York City Economic Development Corporation
August 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

NEW YORK, NY — New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and Newlab unveiled the next cohorts for the NYC Mass Timber Studio and the Resilient Energy Studio, two groundbreaking initiatives focused on accelerating climate-forward technologies across New York City. Led by NYCEDC, in partnership with the New York City Department of Buildings, and the New York City Fire Department, these Climate Innovation Studios advance regulatory wayfinding and innovation to unlock the safe deployment of critical climate technologies across New York City. This announcement advances the City’s Green Economy Action Plan, helping to foster a thriving green economy, decarbonize the built environment, and prepare urban infrastructure for a rapidly changing future. “NYCEDC is proud to announce the 2025 cohorts of the NYC Mass Timber and Resilient Energy Studios,” said NYCEDC President & CEO Andrew Kimball. 

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Wisconsin contractor joins $200M mass timber project

By Ethan Duran
Finance & Commerce
August 1, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

PENSACOLA, Florida — A Beloit, Wisconsin-based general contractor will have a share in redeveloping a beachfront park in Florida. Pensacola, Florida-based The Dawson Company announced Beloit-based Corporate Contractors will be a co-developer, co-owner and investment partner in the first phase of a $200 million redevelopment of Community Maritime Park in Pensacola. Diane Hendricks, named the richest self-made woman in the US by Forbes and cofounder of ABC Supply, owns Corporate Contractors through the Hendricks Holding Company. …The first phase of construction involves two mass timber towers for the Reverb by Hard Rock Hotel and Rhythm Lofts, plans showed. The project will also have an affordable aspect, plans added. …In Wisconsin, CCI’s portfolio includes the Beloit College Powerhouse and The Grain mass timber development in Delafield. CCI is currently the owner’s representative for the $500 million Ho-Chunk Nation Casino and Convention Center underway in Beloit.

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Mass timber expands building options in Maine

By Tina Fischer
Mainebiz
July 28, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

When the Portland Museum of Art starts construction on its $100 million expansion, it is expected to showcase an innovative building product that’s gaining popularity here but is not yet produced in Maine: mass timber. The 60,000-square-foot building is designed to be “a mass timber superstructure,” says the builder, Matt Tonello of Consigli Construction. It will be “all mass timber above the foundation.” The museum’s director, Mark Bessire, has become an advocate for the product, saying its use in the new wing will create a welcoming environment. …The use of the mass timber is starting to find more favor among architects, engineers and builders in Maine who value its structural stability, light environmental footprint and the wood’s natural beauty. Also contributing to its increasing adoption is the product’s fabrication, which facilitates a more simplified and cost-effective building process, when compared with the use of steel and concrete.

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Milwaukee is building contemporary timber towers. What about Chicago?

By Edward Keegan
The Chicago Tribune
July 27, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

CHICAGO — …Milwaukee, our neighbor to the north has become a hotbed for the development of timber towers — tall buildings that use relatively new mass timber technologies that can replace the steel and concrete traditionally used to support such structures. Since 2022, Milwaukee has been home to the tallest timber tower in the world — the 25-story Ascent MKE at 284 feet in height. That’s no Sears Tower, but when you consider that most wood-framed buildings are one to four stories tall, it’s quite an achievement. …For all the stunning achievements that Chicago architects and engineers have accomplished over the last century and a half, there’s still a deeply conservative streak that runs through the city’s building culture. Fire, through several key historical events, is at fault. …So, perhaps it’s not surprising that we now lag many places in the development of new construction with mass timber.

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Mass Timber Curriculum Development for Engineering Students

Michigan State University
July 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Mass timber is an emerging construction technology growing in popularity in the United States. One obstacle to the gradual adoption of mass timber construction is the limited availability of qualified engineers and designers. Although successful efforts have been made to address research topics related to mass timber design and … adoption as a construction material, little research has been conducted to identify desired student outcomes for undergraduate civil or structural engineering students working with mass timber after graduation. This paper describes the development of an industry-guided educational resource for curriculum development to improve the alignment between undergraduate student outcomes and employer requirements related to mass timber design. …The findings reflect a prioritization of competencies related to the design of mass timber elements and structures, an understanding of material characteristics, the navigation of available design resources, contributions to project deliverables, and the support of sustainability goals. 

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EU Deforestation Regulation ‘unlikely’ to impact wood pallet and packaging users

Timber Media UK
August 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) has advised that the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will not have significant implications for customers using wood pallets and packaging for transport. The organization issued a statement to customers which requires businesses to prove products on the EU market have not been sourced from recently deforested land or contributed to its degradation. In a newsletter, the organisation said packaging would only become subject to the new EUDR rules when placed on the market for the first time as a standalone product, with its status changing as immediately when it is used. “As soon as the pallet or packaging is used to support, protect or carry another product, it is no longer covered by the EUDR.  …“Once the concerned packaging becomes a packaging material used exclusively as packaging… it is then not covered by the scope 27 of the Regulation.”

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$100m timber development gets green light for 2027 build in Auckland, New Zealand

By Cameron Smith
The New Zealand Herald
July 31, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

AUCKLAND, New Zealand — Consent has been granted for construction to begin on a $100 million development on Auckland’s Karangahape Rd that will have retail and office spaces. The 11-storey timber building will be located minutes from the new Karanga-a-Hape Station which is part of the City Rail Link*. Developers James Kirkpatrick Group (JKG) are planning to begin construction in early 2027 after reaching an agreement with Auckland Council. JKG managing director James Kirkpatrick said “This development will create a new benchmark for sustainable urban design and construction in New Zealand and will enable the city to realise the full social and economic potential of the City Rail Link. The building is designed by globally renowned local architects Fearon Hay and is targeting a world-leading 6 Green Star sustainability rating.

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Global wood harvest is sufficient for climate-friendly transitions to timber cities

By Alperen Yayla, Adam Mason, et al
Nature.com
July 30, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Decarbonizing the economy requires a large-scale transition from fossil carbon-containing feedstocks to minerals and biomass, notably wood in buildings. Increasing harvesting is under discussion to meet the supply of wood for ‘timber cities’, with potentially negative impacts on forests and biodiversity. Here we investigate pathways to timber cities, including their impacts on land use, energy use and greenhouse gas emissions by quantifying global and regional wood cycles using Bayesian material flow analysis. We show that shifting wood fuel to industrial use and maximizing circular use of wood can make timber cities possible with the current harvest volume. Our results reveal that these pathways have better environmental performance than increased harvesting, reducing total CO2 equivalent emissions by 2100 by 40.8 Gt compared to business as usual. To achieve the wood transition, regional and cross-sectoral governance and planning are needed, addressing national-level pathways and inter-regional wood transport. 

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Business Development Mission to Japan in November

By Jim Ivanoff
BC Wood Specialties Group
July 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

As the tariffs imposed by the US continue to roil long-standing trade relationships, BC Wood is ready to support members in finding new markets and customers. One of these opportunities for market diversification is the Global Buyers Mission happening on September 4th- 6th. For those with a specific interest in Japan, we will of course, be organizing the Canadian Pavilion at the Japan Home and Building Show in Tokyo from November 19th to 21st. However, based on the requests and input of BC value-added manufacturers, the BC Wood Japan Office will also be organizing an all-new mission program that will put participating companies in front of buyers for one-on-one meetings in the three main economic regions of Japan. On this mission, BC Wood members will travel to Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka, where they will be able to visit local importers and users to learn about current market demand and preferences. 

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