Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Wood, Paper & Green Building

Canadian Wood Council releases new Environmental Product Declarations for 5 Canadian manufactured wood products

Canadian Wood Council
April 2, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada

The Canadian Wood Council (CWC) is pleased to announce the release of five new Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for Canadian softwood lumber, oriented strand board (OSB), plywood, trusses, and prefabricated wood I-joists. These EPDs provide comprehensive, transparent environmental data on the potential impacts associated with the cradle-to-gate life cycle stages of these essential wood products. Developed as regionalized, industry-wide business-to-business (B2B) Type III declarations, the EPDs comply with the highest international standards, including ISO 21930, ISO 14025, ISO 14040, ISO 14044, the governing product category rules, and ASTM General Program Instructions for Type III EPDs. This ensures credible, third-party verified environmental impact data, supporting designers, builders, and policymakers in making informed, sustainable material choices. The EPDs are available for download from the Canadian Wood Council’s digital resource hub.

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Québec builder creates ‘a world first’ aluminium volumetric apartment project

By John Bleasby
Journal of Commerce
April 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

Construction Éco-bâtiment, a family-owned company in Brossard, Qué., explored possibilities for volumetric modular for their multi-unit affordable housing project northwest of Montréal. …Éco-Bâtiment had been looking for a different construction method … not based on concrete with its high carbon footprint or on wood with its longevity and health problems for occupants such as mold and warping. Furthermore, it would be a construction process that would create less waste materials sent to landfills. Éco-bâtiment turned to ACAL System, a volumetric modular builder based in Québec that specializes in aluminium-framed units. …The collaboration between Construction Éco-bâtiment and ACAL resulted in what Miguel Vaillancourt, president of Construction Éco-bâtiment, called “a world-first” — a six-unit, three-storey residential complex named Lofts de l’Aluminium. The modules were built with such exact precision that the units were assembled onsite in just one day. 

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Province provides $7.5 million for proposed Spearhead development near Nelson

By Samantha Holomay
Castanet
April 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

The province announced $7.5 million in support funding today for Spearhead Timberworks Inc. for a proposed new facility and to advance its glulam technology, a move expected to create 60 jobs. …“These investments couldn’t come at a more critical time,” said Parmar. … Spearhead applied to the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) to rezone three lots adjacent to its existing facility, which they have operated since 1998. The project would bring 60 new jobs to Nelson and will now be supported in part by the provincial government. …Community members have pushed back on the expansion efforts, expressing concerns about the potential impact on nearby aquifers, noise pollution and the potentially increased trucking traffic on Highway 3A. Many residents have urged the company to build the additional facilities in another location to preserve the rural landscape in which the current facilities reside.

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Legal and practical strategies for contractors to manage tariff impacts

By Don Procter
The Daily Commercial News
April 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

CALGARY — The one constant of Trump’s tariff plan seems to be that it is in a constant state of flux. “The time is now to start planning for what those impacts could possibly be and develop the mitigation strategies and tracking mechanisms…so that as they (tariffs) evolve in real time you are prepared to deal with them,” said Rick Moffat. Moffat moderated a webinar panel recently on legal and practical strategies for managing the impacts of the tariffs on construction projects in Canada. …Stressing the importance of detailed contingency plans that account for potential cost hikes caused by tariffs, Bulut Cinar said contractors would benefit by including “multiple scenarios” illustrating how their contingencies help manage their costs. …If contractors consider delay-causing tariffs a force majeure event, but the contract deals with tariffs differently they might be “precluding themselves” from compensation, he added.

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Listen to UBC researchers play a guitar made of sustainable mahogany

CBC News
April 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West

University of B.C. forestry professor Phil Evans and PhD student Joseph Kim say that mahogany trees were logged heavily, to the point that the species is now considered endangered. The scientists argue that making musical instruments out of mahogany wood produces superior results.

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Sustainable mahogany hits the right note in University of BC electric guitar testing

By the Faculty of Forestry
The University of British Columbia
April 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Joseph Doh Wook Kim & Phil Evans

UBC researchers have built an electric guitar from sustainably sourced mahogany, showing that environmentally responsible materials can deliver the same high-quality sound as endangered, native-grown wood. At UBC’s Centre for Advanced Wood Processing, PhD student Joseph Doh Wook Kim plays a flawless riff on an electric guitar made with plantation-grown Fijian mahogany. The sound is deep, warm and perfect… While native mahogany is regulated under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the Fijian variety is sustainably harvested, legally traded and grown in plantations. Dr. Phil Evans, a professor in the UBC Faculty of Forestry and “wood detective,” has worked with U.S. and Canadian enforcement agencies to identify CITES-listed timbers and combat illegal logging. Partnering with Environment and Climate Change Canada, he co-developed a chemical method for distinguishing plantation-grown mahogany from native wood, ensuring supply-chain transparency and reducing the risk of illegal logging.

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Wood Connections – News for BC’s Wood Products Industry

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

BC Wood’s April newsletter highlights include:

  • Registration for the 2025 Global Buyers Mission Opens Soon and Exhibitor registration opens in May – join us as we return to Whistler, BC, September 4th-6th, 2025 
  • Light House  announces applications are now open for the next cohort of the Circular Construction Accelerator
  • The Shape Workshop Series is an online micro-learning initiative that delivers concise, knowledge-building sessions focused on wood education and value-added processes and practices – register now for the April 25th workshop – Digital Tools Driving the Future of Wood Fabrication
  • BC Wood is proactively exploring new markets for our industry by participating in the Bond Hospitality event from May 29 to June 1 in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. 
  • Participate with BC Wood as an exhibitor at The Assembly of First Nations Circle of Trade, July 15-17, 2025.
  • BC WOOD is inviting industry speakers for the WoodTALKS Lunch & Learn Program
  • Jim Ivanoff shares the highlights of the Value-added Manufacturers Mission to Japan

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Trade war could boost mass-timber construction in B.C., says developer

By Jami Bakan
Business in Vancouver
April 14, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada West, United States

As Canadian softwood lumber gets squeezed out of the US market, BC homebuilders should seize the opportunity to embrace mass-timber construction, says a leading developer. “With tariff threats impacting lumber exports, this presents a unique opportunity to harness BC’s lumber industry to fuel the rise of mass-timber construction locally,” said Vancouver-based Adera Development. Mass-timber buildings are generally less expensive and contain less embodied carbon than concrete ones, but cost more than traditional wood-based methods, said Eric Andreasen. However, mass timber, which is engineered off-site from multiple layers of wood into large panels, columns and beams, can save considerable time and labour during construction, he said. Mass-timber homes can therefore be competitively priced. …If tariffs threatened by the US materialize, the total levy on Canadian softwood lumber going into the U.S. could total 45% – 55%. This could result in a temporary glut of lumber in BC, bringing down costs locally.

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Indigenous law centre fulfills Truth and Reconciliation Commission Recommendation 50

By Jean Sorensen
Journal of Commerce
April 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

When the University of Victoria’s new National Centre for Indigenous Law (NCIL) opens this summer it will be a major step in fulfilling Recommendation 50 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission… The structure’s footprint will be firmly rooted in Indigenous design, culture and values. The new structure built by Chandos Construction as an addition the Fraser Building will showcase the home for Canada’s first British common law and Indigenous legal practices degree program started in 2018. But it will also combine innovative North American building concepts such as mass timber with the Indigenous values and environmental concerns. A highly-sophisticated moisture control system was developed for its mass timber construction. …The structure features a CLT roof on supported timbers, some of which were repurposed trees removed from the site. The sculptural cladding panels echo the silhouettes of Coast Salish canoes and paddles.

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Heating with waste wood fibre is good for the city, council hears

By Colin Slark
Prince George Citizen
April 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Prince George city council took the first step in renewing its contract with Lakeland Mills Ltd. to supply fibre for the Downtown Renewable Energy System through 2026 with options to extend it through 2027 and 2028 at its Monday, April 7 meeting. From a central location near the intersection of Second Avenue and George Street, the system uses wood waste to power boilers that pump heated water to buildings across downtown Prince George like city hall, the Prince George Public Library, the Canfor Leisure Pool, the Ramada Hotel and more. The original contract with Lakeland Mills to supply the products used to power the boilers ran from 2012 to 2022. If the bylaw creating the new agreement eventually passes fourth reading, the new agreement would stretch retroactively from July 1, 2022 to Dec. 31, 2026 with options to extend it through 2027 and 2028.

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Global Buyers Mission 2025 Save the Date

BC Wood Specialties Group
April 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

We’re thrilled to announce that the 22nd Annual Global Buyers Mission (GBM) is confirmed for September 4th to 6th, 2025, set against the stunning backdrop of Whistler, British Columbia, Canada. Following the success of our 21st GBM in September 2024, where nearly 700 delegates from around the world gathered and generated over $37 million in new business, we’re excited to invite you to join us this year! This international event continues to connect buyers and suppliers, fostering valuable opportunities and lasting partnerships. Save the date and stay tuned for more updates!

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Save the Date: Wood Solutions Conference Halifax | Nov 19–20, 2025

Canadian Wood Council
April 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

Mark your calendars! WoodWorks Atlantic and the Canadian Wood Council are pleased to present the Wood Solutions Conference in Halifax this fall — and we want you there. Join us November 19–20, 2025, at the Lord Nelson Hotel & Suites for Atlantic Canada’s premier event dedicated to wood design and construction. This two-day conference and trade show will feature expert-led seminars, cutting-edge innovations, and valuable networking opportunities for professionals in architecture, engineering, and construction. Full conference details and registration info coming soon. Whether you’re focused on sustainability, looking to expand your toolkit, or just want to see what’s possible with wood, this is an event you won’t want to miss.

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Factory-built housing is an important solution for Canada’s housing crisis

Northern Ontario Business
April 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

To reach Ontario’s bold goal of 1.5 million homes by 2031… we have a proven solution — and much of what we need, from innovative building techniques to mass timber and Canadian steel, is right here in Ontario’s backyard. …The Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA) released a new policy report, titled Building More, Building Faster, outlining the importance of embracing factory-built homes as a key part of the solution to address Ontario’s ongoing housing supply and affordability crisis. …Factory-built, or prefabricated housing, is a fast-growing area of homebuilding where homes are constructed in a factory — often using prefabricated 3D components — and assembled at their final address. …OREA’s new report highlights five policy recommendations that would cut red tape and create favourable conditions for investment to significantly boost factory-built housing construction with “Made-in-Ontario” solutions that can eventually scale nationally.

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Montreal Wood Convention sets new attendance record

By Guillaume Roy
Canadian Forest Industries
April 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada East

Kyle Little

Sven Gustavsson, director of the Montreal Wood Convention (MWC) was delighted to see that the MWC once again set a new attendance record, with 1,200 participants and 114 exhibitors. The economic conferences were particularly popular at a time of tariff warfare imposed by the US. “Tariffs are inflationary, period,” says Benjamin Tal, at CIBC World Markets. He believes there will be a significant rise in US inflation if the tariffs are maintained. …“I don’t think tariffs or duties are a good thing for the industry or for consumers,” mentions Kyle Little, CEO of Sherwood Lumber, in New York State. The U.S. consumes 50 billion board feet of lumber a year, while we produce only 36 billion,” he notes. Canada supplies 1 billion board feet a month, which we need. …Kyle Little believes that President Trump is using lumber as “emotional bait” to invite Canadians to sign a new trade deal.

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Intelligent City starts production on nine-storey Toronto mass timber project

Daily Commercial News
April 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

TORONTO — A Vancouver-based company that specializes in the design, engineering and manufacturing of prefabricated mass timber building systems for mid-to-highrise urban housing has started production on a nine-storey build in Toronto’s west-end neighbourhood. Set to rise at 230 Royal York Dr. the housing project… is developed by Windmill Developments and Leader Lane Developments. Intelligent City’s manufacturing facility in Delta, BC, will manufacture the main structure and envelope of the building over the course of four months using advanced automation, including industrial robots and AI to process and assemble building parts on the production line. Onsite installation will begin in May, and it is expected that within 90 days the entire structure and enclosure of the building will be completed. “This project is a testament to how prefabrication can meet growing housing demand,” says Oliver David Krieg, president of Intelligent City. 

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Intelligent City starts production on a nine-storey mass timber housing project in Toronto

By Intelligent City
Cision Newswire
April 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

VANCOUVER, BC – Intelligent City, a Vancouver-based company that specializes in the design, engineering, and manufacturing of prefabricated mass timber building systems for mid- to high-rise urban housing, is pleased to announce the official start of production on a nine-storey mass timber residential building in Toronto’s west-end neighbourhood. …Intelligent City’s manufacturing facility in Delta, B.C., will manufacture the main structure and envelope of the building, over the course of four months. Using advanced automation, including industrial robots and AI to process and assemble building parts on the production line, the company is driving innovation in industrialized construction processes. This development is a true demonstration of the power of prefabricated construction and sustainable materials reshaping the future of housing. By moving work from on-site to off-site, this approach can cut the construction time by three to four months. 

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American Wood Council launches wood sourcing online tool

The American Wood Council
April 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The American Wood Council (AWC) released a new, first-of-its kind online tool designed to help users better understand where their wood products are coming from and the safeguards in place throughout the supply chain to ensure sustainability measures. The tool will provide greater insight into the sourcing of wood products used in low-and zero-carbon construction. The pilot project of the website was funded by the Softwood Lumber Board and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry & Communities funding. The new Wood Sourcing Tool tells the sustainability story through the incorporation of data based on a wood product’s mill grade stamp or region, information critical to tracking a specific product’s journey from the forest to the end user. This new tool also features a set of frequently asked questions about sustainable forestry and regional facts about wood sourcing.

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The U.S. can preserve its forests by building smartly with new and old techniques and technologies

By James Kitchin and Chris Hardy, MASS Design Group
The Architect’s Newspaper
April 22, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

U.S. national forests have comprehensive sustainable management practices, thanks in part to strong laws passed through the legislative process, such as the National Forest Management Act of 1976 and the Endangered Species Act in 1973. …The recent White House Executive Order requiring the Immediate Expansion of American Timber Production criticizes the policies that balance the use of our national forests and our purported inability to “fully exploit our domestic timber.” This order diminishes the value of our forests to that of just a commodity resource. This order runs the risk of us repeating mistakes our country has already learned. …Expediting the review of timber projects risks the insufficient evaluation of impacts to the vitality and productivity of the forests, as well as, to the habitats of endangered species, which is likely to see conservation groups and logging companies become confrontational once again. …We propose ways in which this can be achieved without ravaging our national forests…

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Decorative Hardwoods Association Advises On How Wood Product Imports Affect National Security

By Keith Christman, President
The Decorative Hardwoods Association
April 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

President Trump directed the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate how imports of wood products affect national security.  DHA members have been the victims of unfair trade practices engaged … particularly in Asia. We believe these trade practices are a threat to U.S. national security and the health of our economy. …DHA strongly supports trade policies to reduce imports of hardwood plywood, hardwood veneer, engineered hardwood flooring and finished hardwood products including cabinets and furniture particularly from Asia. …The U.S. is well positioned to meet domestic and international demand for hardwood products. …DHA members, particularly …wood floor manufacturers, have successfully pursued antidumping and countervailing duty trade cases against Chinese manufacturers. …DHA recommends that the U.S. ban Russian wood products and products from third countries made with Russian wood. Artificially low-priced Russian timber results in subsidized hardwood plywood, cabinetry and furniture from most of Asia and should be banned or restricted. 

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Mercer Mass Timber powers Walmart’s new mass timber campus, the largest in the US

By Larry Adams
The Woodworking Network
April 3, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

SPOKANE VALLEY, Washington – Mercer Mass Timber (MMT) is playing a key role in the construction of Walmart’s new Home Office in Bentonville, Arkansas—the largest mass timber corporate campus in the United States. The installation of the mass timber panels began in Spring 2024 and is now fully complete. Shawmut Design and Construction and Layton Construction selected MMT to provide cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (Glulam) for two major sections of the campus, opening in late 2025 to early 2026. …Mercer Conway, located in Conway, Arkansas, supplied a total of 21,000 cubic meters of CLT and Glulam while providing jobs for 58 local employees. …”This project showcases how mass timber can transform commercial construction,” said Nick Milestone, SVP at Mercer Mass Timber. “We’re proud to support Walmart’s sustainability vision and demonstrate how local, eco-friendly materials create beautiful, high-performance workplaces.”

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Buying Products for Home Building & Remodeling

By Eric Lynch
The National Association of Home Builders
April 1, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

In the course of their business, home builders and remodelers buy many different products— ranging from lumber and other wood products to electrical and plumbing fixtures, a variety of materials used to finish various areas of the house, appliances, and even tools. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) recently surveyed both its single-family builders and its remodelers, asking them who’s most often responsible for choosing these products. In a separate question, NAHB also asked where these products are purchased irrespective of who chooses them because even when they’re not the ones driving the product choice, builders and remodelers often know where the product is being purchased. …The survey results show that, irrespective of who actually makes the purchase, it is the builders and remodelers themselves who most often influence product selection and therefore should most often be the prime targets for manufacturers looking to effectively market building products. 

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This industry-leading adventure shirt is cool, comfortable and made from wood

SGB Media
April 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

SAN FRANCISCO – Outdoor adventure apparel brand Royal Robbins expands its best-selling Desert Pucker collection for Spring 2025. …Since the first Pucker shirt, Royal Robbins has worked with longtime fiber partner, Tencel Modal, to create an exceptionally soft, breathable and ultra-comfortable fabric. It all starts with responsibly sourced wood-based Tencel Modal fibers and a process that produces 50 percent less carbon emissions and water consumption than generic modal fibers. …The wood used as raw material for all Tencel Modal fibers is sourced from controlled or certified origins meeting the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) or Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) standards. …The Desert Pucker helps the brand meet its highest sustainability standard yet, with 83% of styles made from materials that contain 50% or more lower-impact fibers, preferred cotton, recycled polyester, preferred forest materials, hemp, or recycled nylon.

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Green Globes for New Construction certification or Green Globes Journey to Net Zero eligible for reduced cost financing

The Green Building Initiative
April 10, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

Portland, Ore.  – The Green Building Initiative (GBI) announces the inclusion of both Green Globes and Green Globes Journey to Net Zero certification systems in PACE Equity’s CIRRUS C-PACE program. Projects achieving Green Globes for New Construction certification or Green Globes Journey to Net Zero Recognized or Certified status for new, major renovations, or addition projects are automatically eligible for reduced cost financing capital that rewards building efficiency and carbon impact.  “GBI is excited to work alongside PACE Equity to help property owners reduce their carbon footprint and increase energy efficiency,” said Vicki Worden, GBI President & CEO. “Green Globes and Green Globes Journey to Net Zero programs demonstrate accountability and can unlock critical lower cost capital to support projects that are focused on improving the sustainability of the built environment.”

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Oregon State Releases Permit Ready Plan For Decks

My Central Oregon
April 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

The Oregon Building Codes Division (BCD) has published its first permit-ready plan under the state’s updated Permit-Ready Plans Program. The building plans, available free to the public, are for a code-compliant residential deck. The Permit-Ready Plans Program creates an efficient pathway for the state to develop and make publicly accessible building plans that meet the requirements of the state building code. Plans are published to the BCD website. …The first plan published is a single-level, wood-framed, exterior deck attached to a building regulated by the Oregon Residential Specialty Code. BCD anticipates publishing more permit-ready plans for other residential accessory structures such as pole buildings, detached garages, patio covers, and carports later this year. The division will start developing plans for smaller detached dwelling units by the end of 2025.

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New Department of Natural Resources mass timber building on display

By Carol Stiffler
The Newberry News
April 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

Michigan — The new Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Newberry Customer Service Center  is a 10,000-square foot building designed with nature in mind. Massive wooden columns and beams support the structure, while giant windows stretch nearly floor to ceiling. The DNR welcomed architects, engineers, and political representatives to the new building last Wednesday,  to celebrate one of Michigan’s first mass timber structures. …A public grand opening will be scheduled in the near future. …While mass timber is celebrated for its sustainability, it also brings nature indoors, promoting “biophilia” – the human desire to connect with nature. …Newberry’s mass timber building is part of a growing trend – both in Michigan and across the country. By the time the building was complete, several more mass timber buildings have gone up in Michigan. According to WoodWorks, the Wood Products Council, there were 2,427 mass timber buildings constructed or in progress in the U.S. as of March 2025.

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Skanska Delivers First HQ of Its Kind

By Richard Berger
The Commercial Property Executive
April 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

Skanska has completed the U.S.’s first mass timber broadcast facility. In fact, Cincinnati Public Radio’s new headquarters, which had a price tag of $32 million, is also the city’s first such building. Skanska worked together with Emersion Design, Neyer Properties, Schaefer Inc., CMTA and WSDG on the project. “Mass timber allows us to reimagine how we build, bringing a warmth and human-scale quality that transforms how people experience a space,” said Chris Hopper, executive vice president & general manager for Skanska USA Building. The 37-day project incorporated 498 pieces of cross-laminated timber sourced from 80- to 100-year-old black spruce trees. The result: a 35,000-square-foot first. One of the project’s main highlights was the CLT stair stringers, each weighing roughly 7,500 pounds. …The volume of projects using mass timber has increased dramatically, including hundreds of developments in the office, industrial and retail sectors, according to a September 2024 report from WoodWorks.

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Trade War Fallout: Contractors Are Delaying Projects and Cutting Crews

By Bryan Gottlieb
Roofing Contractor
April 24, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

A new survey of industrial professionals highlights the significant impact of President Trump’s tariffs and immigration policies on the building envelope and related manufacturing. The survey’s findings offer the clearest picture yet of the widespread dissatisfaction that the tariffs are causing for businesses throughout the building envelope. This includes reduced profit margins, delayed projects, and workforce cuts in construction — effects particularly felt by roofing and exterior contractors amid tight labor markets and rising material costs. Industry data show that tariffs on steel, aluminum and lumber have driven up input prices by double-digit percentages, delayed deliveries on job sites, and added roughly $9,000 – $10,000 to the cost of a typical single-family home. At the same time, stricter immigration enforcement has reduced the pool of experienced installers — nearly one-quarter of construction workers are foreign-born, which puts further upward pressure on wages and project timelines.

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Cool tool expands mass timber research capabilities

By Kelley Young
Auburn University Newsroom
April 21, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US East

“I was very excited when I heard we were getting a cross-laminated timber (CLT) press,” said Brian Via, the Regions Professor of forest products and member of the Auburn Mass Timber Collaborative (AMTC). Mass timber is a rapidly growing technology used in the design and construction fields, and the AMTC is becoming a leader in mass timber research, teaching and outreach in the Southeast. Now that the team has acquired a tool to manufacture its own CLT, faculty can do more research without having to leave campus or depend on outside partners. Auburn is the only academic institution in the Southeast and one of fewer than a dozen nationally to own a CLT press. Now, Auburn faculty across multiple disciplines can complete the cycle of mass timber production from start to finish  from sapling to shelter. 

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Walmart’s Home Office a Milestone for Mass Timber in the US

Arkansas Money & Politics
April 10, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Walmart

Walmart’s new Home Office in Bentonville is the largest corporate campus in the nation built using mass timber, a sustainable building material gaining popularity in the U.S. Mercer Mass Timber, a leading manufacturer of sustainable timber building materials and a subsidiary of Mercer International, played a key role in the installation of mass timber panels that began in 2024 is now complete. Mercer Conway supplied a total of 21,000 cubic meters of cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber for the project while providing jobs for nearly 60 local employees. MMT is also set to provide CLT and Glulam for two major sections of campus that will open in late 2025 to early 2026. …Mass timber offers significant environmental and construction benefits, including 25 to 40 percent lower carbon emissions compared to traditional materials, faster installation with prefabricated components and strong fire resistance for enhanced safety.

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Highly invasive wood-boring beetle intercepted at U.S. border

By Sheri Walsh
United Press International
April 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

A highly invasive wood-boring beetle was intercepted last month by U.S. border agents before it could destroy forests and ecosystems, Customs and Border Protection announced Monday. The live Asian long-horned beetle, which can cause significant damage to hardwood trees, was discovered during an inspection of wood cargo from Romania on March 17. CBP agriculture specialists at the Port Huron rail yard in Michigan found solid insect waste before discovering live beetle larvae. …The beetle larvae were found inside wood pallets that were stamped with a marking to show that they had been heat-treated to prevent invasive species. The treatment is required by the Interim Commission on Phytosanitary Measures of the International Plant Protection Convention and is the international standard for the safe use of wooden pallets and crates. While the marking on the wood packaging material “appeared to be legitimate,” agents believe the heat treatment process may not have been “executed properly.”

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Maryland’s Extended Producer Responsibility Legislation Guided by Missteps

The American Forest & Paper Association
April 4, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Maryland lawmakers are rushing to consider SB 901. This misguided legislation introduces an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for packaging and paper products. The EPR legislation has wide-ranging, negative impacts for the paper industry. In fact, legislators in the Maryland House of Delegates seemed aware of the risks SB 901 has for the paper industry. They initially included a provision in the bill to ensure paper’s continued recycling success, only to remove it at the last minute. …Maryland invested in a Needs Assessment to understand the current state of their waste and recycling system, something AF&PA supported. …However, legislators proceeded to write SB 901 before the report was final. Worse, once the Assessment was completed, lawmakers didn’t wait for it to be reviewed by the Maryland Advisory Board. Instead, they pushed forward without considering stakeholder input. Now, the bill has advanced through key phases of the legislative process. All without making informed, data-driven decisions.

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Sanctioned Russian and Belarusian wood smuggled into UK, study suggests

By Patrick Greenfield
The Guardian UK
April 23, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

UK — Nearly half of birch wood certified by leading sustainability schemes is misidentified and does not come from the labelled country of origin, according to new testing. The analysis raises fears that large quantities of sanctioned wood from Russia and Belarus are still illegally entering Britain. New research by World Forest ID… scrutinised the accuracy of dozens of harvesting-origin claims on birch products, which had almost entirely been approved by FSC and PEFC sustainability schemes. The samples of birch – a popular hardwood used in furniture, kitchens panels and musical instruments – were labelled as originating in Ukraine, Poland, Estonia and Latvia. But tests using the wood’s “chemical fingerprint” showed that 46% of certified samples did not come from the origin on the label. …While the tests did not specify the country where the wood was grown, experts said Russia and Belarus were the only plausible origins.

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Coalition to introduce country of origin labelling for timber if it wins election

By Warwick Long
ABC News Australia
April 18, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

AUSTRALIA — The timber aisle in your local hardware store may look a little different if the Coalition is successful in next month’s election. As part of its tilt at government the Opposition has promised to introduce country of origin labelling on timber sold by commercial hardware outlets. In Australia there is no requirement for timber products to be labelled with the country they are from. …Opposition forestry spokesperson Jonathon Duniam said the measure would help people make an informed choice. “We should be making sure it is clear, whether it is a product that you pick up at Bunnings or Mitre 10, you can see that is a product that has come from an Australian forest,” he said. …The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) supports the idea, which chief executive Diana Hallam says would be similar to what is in place for food packaging.

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Brick shortage threatens to stall UK housebuilding — is wood the answer?

By Joshua Oliver
The Financial Times
April 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Timber construction has long been widely used in North America, Scandinavia and Scotland, but has struggled for traction in England — where houses are typically still built by hand out of bricks and blocks. England’s biggest housebuilders are all now pushing to build more with timber. Behind the shift is a worsening shortage of the skilled labour that the industry will need to meet the government’s ambitious target for 1.5mn new homes by 2029, as well as looming environmental regulations that will demand better insulation and less carbon-intensive materials. Industry remains sceptical that this scale of construction can be achieved without financial help for buyers still squeezed by high mortgage rates, or an easing of lending rules. But it also probably lacks the capacity to build at this rate — the highest since the 1960s — without changing how houses are built.

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Kiwi firm designs low-cost, fast-build house

Radio New Zealand
April 16, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

A New Zealand architecture company has designed a three-bedroom house that three people can assemble in six weeks for $335,000. RTA Studio just constructed its first ‘Living House’ in Rotorua. It is 85sqm and designed for quick assembly once the foundations are in place, the cost includes a functional kitchen with appliances as well as flooring, lighting, carpets and heating. …Frustration with the failure of successive governments to get to grips with the housing crisis was the motivation behind Living House, founder Rich Naish said. …The basic structure is made of 120mm thick cross laminated timber panels, he explains. “It’s 36 panels that get tilted up a bit like a flat pack furniture package that goes together in about three or four days.” …The CLT is manufactured by Red Stag Timber in Rotorua from locally grown pine, Raish says. 

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Wood Protection Association Conference to focus on future of treated wood

By Stephen Powney
The Timber Trades Journal
April 11, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

This year’s Wood Protection Association (WPA) Annual Awards and Conference is themed Future-Proofing Demand for Correctly Treated Wood. The half-day conference will take place on May 8 in Leeds in conjunction with the WPA’s 2025 Awards. Among the conference speakers will be Paul Pennick, procurement director, h&b Buying Group, who will cover “What supply chain buyers want from the treated wood industry”. Mr Pennick believes the market potential for preservative-treated wood is strong. The Government’s ambitious infrastructure, homebuilding, and carbon reduction plans align with the benefits of treated wood. …Another topic will be the role of builders’ merchants in treated wood sales. …Ed Suttie, head of consultancy, BRE, will focus on “Changing service life and performance data for treated wood”. The emerging requirement for the declaration of Reference Service Life under the new Construction Products Regulation has sparked a reassessment of how service life is determined and communicated. 

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Goodbye Soggy Straws? Transparent Biodegradable Paper Material Can Handle Even Hot Water

By Dr. Alfredo Carpineti
IFLScience
April 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

Every year, over 400 million tonnes of plastic are produced. About five percent of that ends up in rivers and eventually the sea, or is thrown directly into the ocean by the fishing industry. Plastic, whether it breaks down into microplastic or not, is an unfolding environmental and health catastrophe that affects the whole planet. Many solutions have been proposed and researchers have now showcased a new material that looks and acts like plastic without the impact. The team is calling it transparent paperboard (tPB). The material is made completely of cellulose and its composition is equal to that of regular paper. The starting point is using regenerated cellulose from plants and wood (but not exclusively as they have demonstrated) and creating a hydrogel that can be shaped and is transparent.

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International Softwood Conference 2025 to be hosted in Norway

The Timber Trades Journal
April 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

This year’s International Softwood Conference (ISC) will take place on October 22-24 in Oslo, Norway. The popular event, which provides valuable information on international softwood markets, will be hosted by the Norwegian Wood Industry Federation (Treindustrien), in collaboration with the European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF) and the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS). The conference itself will be on October 23 at the Clarion Hotel Oslo, in the heart of the city centre. …The conference provides an opportunity to thoroughly examine trends in the timber market, focusing on facts and figures for softwood production and consumption in the most relevant countries worldwide – not just in Europe. Before the conference, on October 22, there will be five different study tours, including the production line at Bergene Holm Haslestad… and the wood paint factory at G3 Gausdal Treindustrier.

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French school demonstrates multiple benefits of wood-concrete panels

By John Bleasby
The Daily Commercial News
April 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

An educational complex in France has become a showcase for an increasingly popular prefabricated building technique. Work began in May 2024 on the €80 million (CDN$125 million) 14,500 m2 school facility in the City of Sartrouville, northwest of Paris. Final project delivery is scheduled for November 2026. …From the outset, the objective was to create a facility with a reduced carbon footprint in order to achieve what in France is called Level 3 “Bâtiment biosourcé” (Biosourced Building). This requires certain minimum percentages of bio-based material per square metre of floor area. The designers took a unique approach to material selection, opting for 7,000 m² of load-bearing exterior wall panels made of wood-concrete, representing 75 per cent of the flat exterior surfaces. Wood-concrete is made from a mixture of water and wood aggregates, sourced mainly from PEFC-certified French forest operators, which is then combined with cement.

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French company unveils new wooden PV carports, charging stations

By Francois Puthod
Photovoltaics PV Magazine
April 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

France-based EV charging station provider Rossini Energy has started selling PV carports and EV charging stations made with wood. “We started by manufacturing 22 kW charging stations with Douglas fir wood, sourced from French forests, rot-proof and renowned for its durability. We then combined our offering with photovoltaic car park canopies, which we now integrate almost automatically,” CEO Luca Rossini told pv magazine France.”They are two inseparable sides of the same coin. They go together perfectly.” Simon Chouvellon, Rossini Energy business manager, claimed that by choosing wood rather than steel for a 10-person shade structure, the company avoids 10 tons of CO2 emissions, which is equivalent to the carbon emissions of an average French individual for more than a year.

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