Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Wood, Paper & Green Building

Researchers use tree bark wastes to reduce radar detection

EurekAlert!
June 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

Most researchers today explore high-tech materials like carbon nanotubes or graphene to develop a class of composite known as radar-absorbing material, i.e., a composite that can attenuate radar signals for stealth applications. Such high-tech materials are costly and energy-intensive to produce. Researchers from Brazil and Canada have explored sustainable carbon made of tree bark waste as an affordable alternative to those options. Their findings were recently published in the Journal of Renewable Materials, with insights on how engineering material and design can lead to performances as well as those expensive options. The research also supports the goals of the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, by promoting the use of renewable materials and reducing industrial waste. The team plans to scale up production and test the core material in other real-world situations.

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Canada’s sustainable infrastructure at risk: The impact of limited oilborne wood preservative options for critical applications

By Natalie Tarini, CEO
Wood Preservation Canada in Wood Business
June 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

…However, regulatory red tape for wood preservatives has limited access to some products in Canada, putting Canadian companies and users at a disadvantage compared to their counterparts in the United States. …Currently, creosote is the only registered oilborne wood preservative in Canada. Pentachlorophenol (Penta), another oilborne preservative historically used for utility poles, crossarms, and timber bridges, was phased out of use when the sole manufacturer ceased production. …There is a strong harmonization between Canada and the United States regarding standards for pressure treated wood, ensuring consistency across both countries. However, the United States faces fewer challenges than Canada in terms of oilborne wood preservatives, as there are several registered options available to U.S. end-users… Wood Preservation Canada is calling for a collaborative effort among industry leaders, regulators, and policymakers to ensure that safe, effective, and sustainable wood preservative solutions remain available for the infrastructure Canadians rely on every day. 

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Kalesnikoff opens new integrated mass timber facility in B.C.

By Peter Caulfield
Journal of Commerce
July 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Kalesnikoff Mass Timber recently opened its new 100,000-square-foot mass timber prefabrication and modular facility in Castlegar, B.C., 400 miles east of Vancouver. Starting small just before the Second World War, Kalesnikoff today is a family-owned, fourth-generation company that produces dimensional lumber, glulam beams and columns, glue-laminated timber (GLT) panels, cross laminated timber (CLT) and prefabricated components. The new facility, which is built entirely out of Kalesnikoff’s own mass timber… enables Kalesnikoff to provide new products that can be used for prefabricated walls, flooring, modules and full modular construction. Chief operating officer Chris Kalesnikoff says it’s the first vertically integrated mass timber operation in North America. Kalesnikoff was started by Chris’s great-grandfather and two of his brothers in 1939 as a logging operation. His grandfather and his father (Ken) expanded the sawmill into value-added wood products.

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Kelowna manufacturer argues airport expansion not as ‘local’ as it could be

By Cindy White
Castanet
June 26, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

You can see the airport from the factory floor at Geometrik Manufacturing in Kelowna. That proximity is one of the reasons a recent announcement about the completion of the mass timber ceiling at the Kelowna International Airport terminal expansion project stings, especially claims that it showcases the local community. Geometrik, which produces wood acoustic panels, was passed over in favour of a company based in the Lower Mainland. …The City of Kelowna said the selection of suppliers for components like the wood acoustic ceilings and wall system are the responsibility of the general contractor and the city would assume additional risk that could compromise the project’s schedule and quality if it got involved in subcontractor decisions. …Geometrik has worked on projects at UBCO and Okanagan College and Bouvier is hoping their past record with YLW will be considered when the next phase of expansion goes ahead.

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Fast + Epp Installs Arches For New PNE Amphitheatre

By Peter Saunders
Canadian Consulting Engineer
June 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

©Fast + Epp

Consulting engineering firm Fast + Epp reached a key milestone for Vancouver’s Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) Freedom Mobile Arch—one of the largest free-span timber roofs in the world—with the installation of three King Arches late last month. The steel support arches were installed following the formation and pouring of three primary concrete buttresses. The King Arches comprise 27 individual segments that were pre-assembled on a custom truss rack to ensure the structural integrity of the canopy. They connect directly to the buttresses and provide the primary framework to support glue-laminated (glulam) timber beams. Embedded head unit frames have been installed at the buttresses, so as to eventually receive the glulam elements. In the meantime, temporary masts support the underside of the steel and timber arch structure. Once the arch is fully assembled and secured, they will be removed and the roof will be self-supporting.

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Project milestone reached in YLW airport expansion

The Kelowna Courier
June 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

The Kelowna International Airport (YLW) is proud to share a significant project milestone for Airport Terminal Building (ATB) expansion – the mass timber roof structure of the facility is now complete. The use of mass timber throughout the terminal building expansion highlights the airport’s commitment to sustainability, innovation and community reflection in this project. YLW received $500,000 from the Province’s Mass Timber Demonstration Program, which aims to grow B.C.’s mass timber and engineered wood products industry and position B.C. as a world leader in wood design, engineering and construction. An important design consideration for the ATB Expansion is to incorporate characteristics that showcase our local community. The use of mass timber plays a meaningful role in conveying our region’s natural beauty, heritage and character.

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How robots are taking prefabricated housing construction to a new level for this Vancouver company

By Derrick Penner
The Vancouver Sun
June 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Behind the three-storey rolling doors of its prototype factory in Delta, a Metro Vancouver company is fine-tuning an approach to prefabricated construction that it believes could be key to solving Canada’s housing crisis. Intelligent City is using massive industrial robots and advanced techniques in mass-timber construction to produce complete floor and exterior wall sections for a nine-storey apartment building that will be assembled in the Toronto suburb of Etobicoke. In the middle of the factory, a pair of automated machines on parallel tracks engage in a precisely choreographed dance to the tune of detailed digitized plans, laying down layers of glue and nailing elements together to assemble floor panels. …The time saved by Intelligent City’s method — which is about four to six months over traditional concrete construction — can help governments meet the ambitious targets they are setting for home building.

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2025 Global Buyers Mission Update and Newsletter

BC Wood Specialties Group
June 19, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

The Annual GBM is fast approaching, and we are happy to announce that this September 4th to 6th, we will once again invite international buyers and specifiers to meet our Canadian suppliers in Whistler, to celebrate our 22nd Anniversary! If you have not received your invitation link, email us at gbm@bcwood.com to receive it. Space is limited and only registered exhibitors get an opportunity to participate in our Sponsorship opportunities.  We are introducing the New Product Showcase, where all registered Exhibitors will be invited to present their innovations in a dedicated area on the show floor. We are expecting many new buyers this year. With the help of our overseas staff, along with the continued support of the federal International Trade Commissioner Service and the provincial Trade & Investment Representatives abroad, we anticipate a strong international attendance.

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Kelowna airport terminal expansion hits milestone with completion of mass timber roof

By Cindy White
Castanet
June 17, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

©Lispett Photo Group

The expansion of Kelowna International Airport has hit a major milestone. The mass timber roof structure of the new airport terminal building is now complete. “A key component to everything we do at YLW is ensuring we reflect the community in our airport. Mass timber embodies our commitment to sustainability and innovation, while also honouring the local industries and resources,” said airport CEO Sam Samaddar. …The project was partially funded through a $500,000 investment from the province’s Mass Timber Demonstration Program. The mass timber panels were manufactured at Kalesnikoff’s state-of-the-art facility in Castlegar, B.C. The roof incorporated 788-square-metres of wood from the Slocan Valley and its construction supported the employment of more than 350 people in B.C. …”B.C. mass timber projects like this showcase how our province is a world leader in the industry and supports our objectives around a clean, sustainable economy,” said Diana Gibson, Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation.

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UBC innovators unveil novel wood leather soccer ball at Expo 2025

By Poppy Philbrook
Capital Current
June 10, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

OSAKA, Japan – The buzz surrounding Vancouver’s role as one of 16 host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup was at the centre of British Columbia Week in recent days at the Expo 2025 Canada Pavilion. …While preparations for the world-class sporting event accelerate, designers from the University of British Columbia’s Bioproducts Institute are concerned with the sustainability of soccer itself, unveiling a first-of-its-kind wood leather ball to an attentive crowd in the heart of the pavilion on June 4. …Created in the official size for junior soccer games, the wood leather ball not only closely aligns with Expo 2025’s overarching theme of “Designing Future Society for Our Lives,” but also highlights the value of one of BC’s largest and growing exports: wood products. …Although the ball is yet to be tested in play, Takagi considers the wood leather material far more durable than its bio-based counterparts.

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Ontario Launches Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan

By Ministry of Natural Resources
The Government of Ontario
June 26, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Kevin Holland

KITCHENER — The Ontario government has released the Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan to increase the manufacturing and use of high-quality made-in-Ontario wood building products. To support the government’s plan to protect Ontario, the use of prefabricated and modular wood-based building materials, known as advanced wood construction, will help build more homes faster and create a more resilient forestry sector in response to U.S. tariffs by attracting investment, increasing revenues and providing economic opportunities that create and sustain local jobs. “As our government delivers on its plan to protect and build Ontario, this action plan will help promote and prioritize wood-based building with made-in-Ontario wood construction products,” said Mike Harris, Minister of Natural Resources. …Releasing the Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan advances Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy commitments to increase wood use, grow markets and encourage forest sector innovation.

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Canada Green Building Council showcases mass timber marvel Limberlost Place

By Warren Frey
Journal of Commerce
June 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — A mass timber showcase on Toronto’s George Brown campus is also a study in collaboration and innovation. George Brown College’s Nerys Rau, Moriyama Teshima Architects partner Philip Silverstein and PCL’s Mike Love all explained the process behind building Limberlost Place at a session titled Exploring Limberlost Place: at the Canada Green Building Council’s Building Lasting Change conference held recently in downtown Vancouver. Limberlost Place is a 10-storey mass-timber net-zero building that achieved occupancy in January. …Silverstein said the building is rated at Tier 4 of the Toronto Green Standard, adding no other building in the city has reached that metric. “It’s like LEED Platinum on steroids,” Silverstein said. Love said the number one question was “what if the wood gets wet?” “It’s OK for wood to get wet. Just remove any ponding water and let it dry. It wants to breathe,” he said.

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Scaling up mass timber: Closing gaps, fueling innovation

By Brian Brashaw
USDA US Forest Service
July 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Mass timber is transforming how America builds—but supply hasn’t kept pace with demand. A gap in domestic manufacturing has slowed widespread adoption, leaving many developers with few options beyond overseas suppliers or traditional steel and concrete. Through strategic support from the USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Program, the Forest Service is helping close that gap—boosting U.S. capacity, strengthening rural economies and growing new markets for American wood. One partner answering the call is SmartLam North America. Mass timber products like cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam) offer a carbon-storing, renewable alternative to conventional building materials. But even as the benefits are clear—strength, fire resistance, design flexibility—developers have faced supply constraints. Limited domestic production has slowed construction timelines, raised costs and stifled innovation.

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Sandra Lupien Receives Fulbright U.S. Scholar Award for 2025-26

By Lauren Noel
Michigan State University
July 1, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

Sandra Lupien

Sandra Lupien, an Academic Specialist who serves as Director, MassTimber@MSU at Michigan State University (MSU) , has received a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Program award to conduct a professional product focused on mass timber policy for the 2025-26 academic year in Finland from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. Through the Fulbright Finland Foundation’s “Seeking Solutions for Global Challenges” program, Lupien will collaborate with Dr. Nataša Lovrić, faculty in the University of Eastern Finland’s (UEF) School of Forest Sciences, Faculty of Science, Forestry and Technology to catalog, analyze, and compare mass timber-focused policies and initiatives across Michigan, the United States, Finland, and the European Union. The project…will highlight models and guidance that mass timber proponents and policymakers worldwide can use to advance mass timber goals in their regions.

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Softwood Lumber Board Monthly Update

The Softwood Lumber Board
June 27, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

In the June Update, the SLB is featuring these stories and more:

  • SLB Generated 315 MM BF of Incremental Demand in Q1 — The SLB recently published its Q1 Report, highlighting its accelerating efforts to grow demand and expand markets for lumber in 2025. 
  • The SLB Expands Accelerator Initiative — the accelerator program initiative drives innovation in wood construction with a focus on affordability and housing access and is now exploring collaborations with cities in Colorado, Pennsylvania, Oregon, California, and in Washington, D.C.
  • Former Chair Highlights the SLB’s Role in Driving Innovation — Marc Brinkmeyer, Owner of Idaho Forest Group, highlights how the SLB and its funded programs can spur innovation to drive lumber demand.
  • Think Wood Case Study Highlights Light-Frame’s Flexibility and Value — Think Wood’s storytelling in this segment helps architects and developers learn how wood structural systems can offer cost-effective and timely solutions for affordable housing developers and practitioners, leading to increased specification of wood.
  • WoodWorks Award Program Drives Scale; Winners Announced at AIA

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U.S. military on a mission to use different construction methods like 3D printing, CLT

By Grant Cameron
The Daily Commercial News
June 13, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The American military is looking at the possibility of using 3D printing, additive construction methods and cross-laminated timber (CLT) to build new military barracks and other buildings at various bases. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has already built new barracks at Fort Bliss, Texas, using 3D printing. …CLT is also being used in another centre planned at Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story, also in Virginia. …Engineers at the Air Force Civil Engineer Center of the Air Force Installation and Mission Support Center are leading the way with research and development on the possibility of implementing concrete building construction techniques in future military construction projects. They discussed a number of topics, including additive construction, 3D-printed buildings, high performance cement and concrete mixes, geosynthetics, mass timber, composite materials, industrialized construction, tension fabric structures and carbon fiber-reinforced polymers.

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USDA Sets Dates for Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Research and Promotion Program Continuance Referendum

US Department of Agriculture
June 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced today that it will conduct a referendum July 14-25, 2025, for eligible domestic manufacturers and importers of paper and paper-based packaging to decide whether to continue their research and promotion program. USDA also announced, effective immediately, a moratorium on the Paper and Packaging Board’s collection of assessments from domestic manufacturers and importers under the Paper and Paper-Based Packaging Promotion, Research and Information Order. The moratorium will remain in place throughout the referendum process. …If continuance of the program is favored by a majority of domestic manufacturers and importers voting in the referendum, who also represent a majority of the volume of paper and paper-based packaging represented in the referendum, the order will continue and the moratorium on assessment collection will be lifted.

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AI’s Role in Reshaping Employment: From Theory to Home Building Sector Impacts

By Jing Fu
NAHB Eye on Housing
June 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The rapid rise of artificial intelligence (AI), particularly machine learning and generative AI (GenAI), is reshaping industries, creating new economic opportunities, and raising critical questions about its long-term impact on jobs and economic growth. A recent study titled “Artificial Intelligence and Technological Unemployment”, provides valuable insights into how AI is reshaping labor markets. Their research highlights both the opportunities and challenges AI adoption brings. …In the home building industry, on the supply side, AI is beginning to make its mark with both significant opportunities and complex challenges. From automating repetitive tasks to enhancing project efficiency, AI is transforming how homes are designed and built. Technologies, such as AI-powered design tools, robotic bricklayers, and automated construction equipment, are streamlining construction processes. …Demand is rising for workers skilled in AI system management, data analysis, and digital design, signaling a shift toward more technologically integrated and highly skilled roles.

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One of the biggest obstacles to building new California housing has now vanished

By Ben Christopher
Cal Matters
July 1, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

A decade-spanning political battle between housing developers and defenders of California’s preeminent environmental law likely came to an end this afternoon with only a smattering of “no” votes. The forces of housing won. With the passage of a state budget-related housing bill, the California Environmental Quality Act will be a non-issue for a decisive swath of urban residential development in California. In practice, that means most new apartment buildings will no longer face the open threat of environmental litigation. It also means most urban developers will no longer have to study, predict and mitigate the ways that new housing might affect local traffic, air pollution, flora and fauna, noise levels, groundwater quality and objects of historic or archeological significance. And it means that when housing advocates argue that the state isn’t doing enough to build more homes amid crippling rents and stratospheric prices, they won’t — with a few exceptions — have CEQA to blame anymore.

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Chico State Celebrates Opening of California State University System’s First Mass Timber Building

By Michael Drummond
Chico State Today
June 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US West

Chico State will make California State University history on Wednesday, June 25, with the grand opening of its University Services Building (USB)—the first in the 23-campus CSU system to be constructed almost exclusively from mass timber. To honor the achievement, the University will host a celebration at the new building with its campus community, project partners, and members of the City of Chico community. …“This project is a major achievement for Chico State,” said Zachary Smith, director of design and construction at Facilities Management Services. “Mass timber allowed us to build sustainably, efficiently, and beautifully. The warm, natural wood makes the building unique while fitting into our picturesque campus.” The USB was brought to life through a collaborative effort between Swinerton and Dreyfuss & Blackford. …The building features modern open offices, conference rooms, flexible workspaces, and inviting break areas—all infused with the warmth and calming presence of natural wood.

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Mass timber company picks Portland for manufacturing facility

By Kyra Buckley
Oregon Public Broadcasting
June 21, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

A mass timber company from Switzerland has chosen Portland for one of its North American facilities. Zaugg Timber Solutions is entering into a long-term lease with the Port of Portland to develop a manufacturing site at Terminal 2. Port commissioners approved the transaction this month. The company is expected to be the anchor tenant for the port’s efforts to create what it describes as a mass timber housing and innovation campus at the terminal. “Having Zaugg as this incredibly trusted international leader within mass timber really adds a lot of credibility to the vision,” Kimberly Branam, chief trade and economic development officer at the port, told commissioners. “It will bring the vision to life.” That vision, Branam said, is to have manufacturing facilities alongside research and development sites. …Zaugg is a manufacturer of engineered wood products and uses its own materials to build structures.

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Phoenix ushers in sustainable future with new 2024 building construction code

By Aisha Khan
Hoodline Phoenix
June 19, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

In a significant leap forward for urban development, Phoenix has officially updated its building construction standards. Starting August 1, 2025, developers and contractors in the region will be guided by the new 2024 Phoenix Building Construction Code (PBCC). The City Council’s decision ensures that all new construction aligns with contemporary building practices and taps into the increasing demand for smarter, sustainable living. The details of the code were meticulously laid out in a recent city press release. …Pioneering changes include the authorization to use mass timber in buildings up to 18 stories, proof that modern construction is to definitely embrace sustainable materials. …The grace period for projects already under review and those subject to special exemptions as per the Planning and Development Department’s discretion will mitigate any friction during the code transition. 

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‘Maintenance-free decks’ aren’t what they seem

By Tim Carter, home improvement professional
The Seattle Times
June 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

I recently gave my electric pressure washer a vigorous workout. …Years ago, I walked into a lumber company to purchase materials and saw a placard on the counter advertising new maintenance-free pressure-treated lumber. Yes, at one time, residential pressure-treated lumber was a new thing. …We all discovered the claim was wrong. Pressure-treated lumber requires extensive maintenance. …This reality led to the first generation of composite decking. I remember when Trex was introduced. It dominated the marketplace, even though it was quite unattractive. It, too, was marketed as maintenance-free. Millions of other homeowners demanded a more realistic composite deck material. Generations two and three of composite decking followed. …The corporate attorneys for some decking manufacturers have reined in the optimistic marketing managers. You’ll now see clever descriptions such as “minimal maintenance.”

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Crafted to Last: Timber Framing in the Era of Modern Luxury

Fine Homes and Living Magazine
June 14, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

In an age of sleek finishes and synthetic shortcuts, timber framing offers something few modern materials can: substance. There’s a quiet grandeur to exposed beams that hold not only the weight of a home but the stories it gathers over time. The appeal isn’t rooted in nostalgia—it comes from discernment. Choosing timber is a commitment to craftsmanship, to the feel of hand-hewn structure beneath polished design. Bespoke estates, mountain retreats, and coastal getaways are embracing timber as both a form and a functional element. No longer reserved for rustic cabins or historical reproductions, it’s becoming the architectural signature of homes designed with permanence in mind. That kind of durability begins with sourcing, ensuring the materials behind the beauty are as intentional as the design itself. Timber framing is one of the oldest construction methods still in use, with roots stretching back over a thousand years. 

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Port of Portland OKs lease for mass timber facility to boost jobs, housing

By Michaela Bourgeois
Yahoo! News
June 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

PORTLAND, Oregon – The Port of Portland is leasing a former marine terminal to a mass timber company as part of an effort to spur housing development and job growth in the area. On Wednesday, the Port of Portland approved a lease for Zaugg Timber Solutions to open a factory at the Port’s Mass Timber and Housing Innovation Campus at Terminal 2. …“Our partnership with ZTS marks a major leap forward in developing the Mass Timber and Housing Innovation Campus at T2,” said Kimberly Branam. “Their new manufacturing facility will boost our region’s economy by promoting sustainable forestry practices, creating quality jobs, and increasing housing production.” While the new 100,000-square-foot manufacturing facility is expected to open in 2028, ZTS will produce mass timber modular housing units, industrial and commercial buildings and other building components starting in 2026 in an interim manufacturing facility at the terminal, officials noted.

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Forest Biomaterials Researchers Developing Sustainable Alternative to Plastic Foam Packaging

By Andrew Moore
North Carolina State University
July 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Researchers in the Department of Forest Biomaterials are developing a proprietary material that could serve as a sustainable alternative to one of the world’s most significant sources of pollution: plastic foam.  “Our material eliminates polystyrene foam materials that are filling landfills and persisting as litter in the environment,” said Richard Venditti, the Elis-Signe Olsson Professor of Pulp and Paper Science and Engineering. Plastic foam, often known by the brand name Styrofoam, is used in many everyday products — from disposable food and beverage containers like cups and plates to shipping materials such as packing peanuts and protective packaging. While convenient, plastic foam presents a significant environmental challenge due to its lack of biodegradability and difficulty in recycling. Estimates indicate that plastic foam takes up to 30% of landfill space globally. 

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Inside the 1st Mass Timber Broadcast Facility in the US

Commercial Property Search
July 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Cincinnati’s Walnut Hills neighborhood is now home to a development unlike any other in the country: a fully mass timber broadcast facility. Built by Skanska with cross-laminated timber components assembled in just over five weeks, the 35,000-square-foot Cincinnati Public Radio headquarters marks a premier in both design and delivery. The $32 million project is both the first modern mass timber building in the city and the first broadcast center in the U.S. built entirely from cross-laminated timber. …Skanska brought deep technical expertise to the project and coordinated closely with Emersion DESIGN, WSDG and Nordic Structures to deliver this first-of-its-kind facility. We asked Jeff Smoker, who served as project manager during construction and now works as preconstruction manager with the construction and development company, to take us behind the complex logistics, integrated sustainability and acoustic precision of this milestone project.

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Council launches wood industry internship program

The Bennington Banner
June 25, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

MONTPELIER — The Vermont Wood Works Council (VWWC) announced the launch of its new Internship Program, a hands-on initiative designed to connect emerging woodworkers with professional makers, manufacturers, and artisans across the state. This program aims to strengthen Vermont’s wood economy by offering real-world experience in local shops to students, career changers, and anyone curious about working with wood. Internships are hosted by Vermont-based woodworking businesses and tailored to each shop’s unique style — whether it’s furniture, cabinetry, millwork, or modern manufacturing. The goal is to introduce the next generation of craftspeople to the skills, tools, and culture that define Vermont’s wood products industry. “This program is about preserving our legacy while preparing for the future,” said Scott Duffy, president of the Vermont Wood Works Council and owner of Rockledge Farm Woodworks. “Woodworking is not just a trade — it’s a meaningful, creative, and sustainable career path rooted in Vermont values.”

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Groundbreaking Held For Tallest Mass Timber Tower in the Western Hemisphere

By Jeramey Jannene
Urban Milwaukee
June 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

A record-breaking apartment tower is under construction in Milwaukee. Neutral Edison will be the tallest mass timber building in the Western Hemisphere when completed in 2027. The 31-story building on Edison Street will include 353 high-end apartments and loads of environmentally-friendly features. Once complete, it will eclipse the height of the current world record holder, the 25-story Ascent building located just a half mile east. [Another building is] under construction in Sydney, Australia and is expected to claim the world record, limiting The Edison’s claim to the Western Hemisphere. …Neutral estimates that the carbon footprint of the building’s construction materials will be 54% lower than a structure built using conventional materials. It estimates that the building’s operational carbon footprint and energy consumption will be 45% lower. The firm intends to pursue Living Building Challenge 4.0 Core Certification and Passive House certification using the PHIUS 2021 Core Standard to formally measure the building’s environmental friendliness.

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The Legacy Paper Group Announces Restart of Paper Machine #8 in Port Huron, Michigan

By The Legacy Paper Group
Cision Newswire
June 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

PORT HURON, Mich. – The Legacy Paper Group, a subsidiary of BMI Group US, today announced plans to restart Paper Machine #8 (PM8) at its Port Huron facility, bringing 30,000 tons of annual production capacity back online after a four-year shutdown. The restart addresses growing market demand for sustainable, lightweight specialty papers used in food packaging and other critical applications.The mill has operated continuously since 1888 under various owners including Port Huron Sulphite and Paper Co., Port Huron Paper, Pentair, EB Eddy Paper, and Domtar Specialty Papers. PM8 itself specializes in producing high-quality, ultra-lightweight papers for quick-serve restaurant packaging, candy wrappers, medical table covers, tissue overwraps, and other sustainable applications.

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Arclin contributes $500,000 to Louisiana Tech’s Forest Products Innovation Center

By Louisiana Tech Communications
The Lincoln Parish Journal
June 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Arclin has committed to a $500,000 contribution to Louisiana Tech University in support of the new Forest Products Innovation Center. The center is set to become a cornerstone of research and development for sustainable forest product technologies and will play a critical role in Louisiana Tech’s broader education and innovation goals. …The facility will focus on developing innovative solutions for capturing, producing, and utilizing renewable forest resources while strengthening the regional economy through sustainable practices. …Arclin’s investment reflects its mission to improve lives through science and technology. …The new center will support Louisiana’s forestry sector, one of the state’s most vital renewable resource industries. It will also provide hands-on opportunities for students and faculty to engage in real-world research, equipping the next generation of scientists, engineers, and environmental leaders with the tools they need to make a meaningful impact.

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Weaving the future: How Siemens and Spinnova are reinventing the future of textiles

By Atharva Gosavi
Interesting Engineering
July 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The fashion industry is often seen as a voracious, thirsty villain that extracts billions of liters of water out of the environment. …These conditions are the biggest ‘WHY’ for Spinnova, a Finnish startup that works tirelessly to create technology for sustainable natural fibers to match its growing demand. …But before we delve into the details, would you believe the core idea for Spinnova was actually born from… a spiderweb? Back in 2009, Juha Salmela, a cellulose expert from Finland attended an Oxford University conference. He heard a presentation from a leading spider researcher, who explained the similarities between spiderweb’s protein and nanocellulose. And, that happened to be his Eureka moment. What if wood fiber could be spun into textile fiber in a similar manner? Fast forward to 2023, the wood-based Spinnova fiber was born. …The process at Spinnova starts with sourcing cellulose-rich raw materials such as FSC-certified wood pulp.

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Over 96% of waste wood processed in 2024, says UK Wood Recyclers’ Association

By Barbora Vaclavova
Let’s Recycle
June 26, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

UK waste wood market processed over 96% of material, annual statistics published this month by the Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA) showed. The association said that there was “strong demand” for material in 2024. According to the statistics, 4.5 million tonnes of waste wood arose in the UK last year. Of this, 4.33 million tonnes (96%) were sent for reuse, recycling or recovery, the figures showed. The organisation compiled the 2024 figures through its annual survey of members who handle approximately 90% of the market, combining the findings with latest industry data. The figures are somewhat similar to 2023 which saw 97% of the material processed.

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Sweden turning oat husks, agri‑waste into cellulose fibre

Apparel Resources
June 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

As per a study documented in RSC Sustainability (Royal Society Of Chemistry), researchers have explored a new approach to using cellulose fibre manufacturing. The study highlighted the use of waste products from agriculture, which Sweden has in abundance. Taking a leap from commonly researched wood-based cellulose, the researchers instead focussed on products including oat husks, potato pulp, wheat straw, and sugar beet pulp to create dissolving pulp for clothes – a key ingredient in making textiles. In this regard, Diana Bernin, Assistant Professor at the Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Chalmers University of Technology and senior researcher in the study, mentioned this study, which is centered on generating textile from waste products, as a significant step in creating a circular economy. She also added that these waste products are more beneficial than using cotton.

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Materials rethink underpins architecture’s sustainability push

By Edwin Heathcote
The Financial Times
June 19, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

The ultimate problem for architects is that the most sustainable building is always the one that is already there. There is a huge amount written about green buildings, much of it nonsense. There is some confusion about buildings layered in vines and living walls, and buildings that actually are green. Contemporary architecture’s issue is mostly embodied in one material: concrete. …The rate at which we are still using it is astonishing: half of all the stuff manufactured by weight is concrete. From 2011 to 2013, China used more concrete than the US had in the whole of the 20th century. …There are signs, however, that architects are beginning to shake things up. The first credible alternative is, perhaps a little ironically, that oldest of building materials, timber. [A Financial Times subscription may be required to read the full story]

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Turning Forestry Waste into Biopharmaceuticals

By Mike May
Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News
June 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Although a casual observer just sees the bark on a tree, a lumber expert might envision the potential for boards inside, thinking of the bark largely as waste. In many cases, bark does turn into waste in the logging industry. That’s lots of waste, because bark can account for up to 15% of a tree’s weight, and “only a fraction of this is currently being utilized, primarily for landscaping or for energy; the rest is left at the harvest or handling site to naturally decompose,” according to Sumanth Ranganathan, Dr.-Ing, a biochemical engineer at Scion, a research institute in Rotorua, New Zealand, and his colleagues. For some trees, though, that wasted bark is a potential treasure-trove of biopharmaceuticals, from anti-inflammatories to cancer-fighting drugs. …Each year, the country’s logging industry produces about 2.5 million metric tons of bark. Ranganathan’s team envisions feeding that into a bark-based biorefinery.

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Ireland’s bid to solve the housing crisis includes ‘Wood First’ plan

By Adam Higgins
The Irish Sun
June 17, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

IRELAND — The Government is branching out in its bid to solve the housing crisis with a new “Wood First” plan that will see timber become the main building material used to build our homes, schools and libraries. It comes as the Cabinet will today give the green light to emergency legislation to extend rent pressure zones across the country in a scramble to stop greedy landlords cashing in on the Coalition’s rental policy changes. Forestry Minister Micheal Healy-Rae said Ireland has excellent forest resources that are being underused in our construction sector
A series of memos will go before the Cabinet today. …Minister Martin Heydon will bring forward the first report from the Government’s Timber in Construction Steering Group which… believes that our forests have the capacity to supply the timber needed to build houses while also helping reach climate targets by reducing the need for steel and concrete.

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Unlocking Mass Timber: Strategies for Risk and Insurance

AON
June 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Mass timber construction is gaining traction for its sustainability and efficiency, yet it brings distinct insurance and risk management challenges that require industry collaboration and proactive strategies. Key Takeaways from this Article:

  • Mass timber offers both environmental and economic benefits, such as lower carbon emissions and faster construction. As the need for sustainable solutions grows, managing risks like fire safety and water damage is key to maximizing its potential.
  • Limited historical data on mass timber makes it challenging for insurers to develop comprehensive underwriting practices. Gathering data and educating stakeholders will be crucial to support the increasing demand for mass timber projects.
  • Businesses can mitigate mass timber risks and optimize its construction benefits by planning early, ensuring strong moisture management and partnering with skilled insurance brokers.

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Why is secondary timber still secondary?

By John Jervis
The RIBA Journal
June 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Maximising the use of bio-based products is key to meeting current sustainability targets. Yet according to sustainability consultancy Metabolic, using bio-based products for half of new housing in Europe would require production of engineered timber to increase nearly fivefold, and roundwood by four and a half times. Given the improbability of an uplift in production on that scale, as well as the current rapid growth in global demand and the UK’s own limited timber harvest, using the country’s waste timber to make ‘cross-laminated secondary timber’ – CLST – would seem to make a great deal of sense. Rather than its current fates of combustion for energy recovery, chipping for MDF, dumping in landfill, and other low-grade, non-circular activities, incorporating this plentiful material into supply chains would benefit the construction industry, as well as the country’s economy and environment. And it would also seem to be a highly achievable ambition – so why isn’t it happening?

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Mass timber provides options amid steel tariffs: Timberlab CEO

By Matthew Thibault
Construction Dive
June 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Amid the chaos of tariffs and economic uncertainty, Chris Evans is feeling deja vu with regards to the construction supply chain. Evans, the president of Swinerton-owned mass timber firm Timberlab, has helped the company through the process of building up a domestic supply chain. Evans said the company noted a lack of domestic supply, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. That led company leaders, in 2021, to work toward helping the firm become more vertically integrated, with its own fabrication facilities and domestic supply, and a sawmill coming online in 2027. Timberlab brought its first fabrication facility online in 2020 and a second in 2022, employing computer numerical control fabrication techniques to create cross-laminated timber and glulam, critical mass timber components.

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