Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Wood, Paper & Green Building

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

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

Susan Yurkovich

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

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Secure your spot at Woodrise

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

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

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

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

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

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Trends shaping the future of wood flooring

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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PNE Amphitheatre / Freedom Mobile Arch in Vancouver

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

@PNE

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

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Is B.C. the leader in mass timber?

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

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

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

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

Andrew Stiffman

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

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2025 Global Buyers Mission – limited booth spaces left!

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

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

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BC Wood Connections Newsletter

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

Don’t miss the BC Wood newsletter. Headlines include:

  • BC Wood Specialties Group 2025 Annual General Meeting
  • 2025 Global Buyers Mission Update
  • BC Wood New Website Launch
  • Updated Dates & New AIBC Credits for the 2025 BC Timber Building Technical Tour
  • UBC CAWP Announces Robot Made Workshop: Now Approved for Up to 31.75 AIBC Core Learning Units
  • Join TWIG’s  Sea to Sky Wood Network
  • Vintage Wood for Future Designers Exhibition at the Museum of Vancouver Uses Reclaimed Mahogany
  • Join BC Wood at EXPO CIHAC in Mexico City

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UBC’s Centre for Advanced Wood Processing to co-host a Robot Made workshop

By Jason Chiu
UBC Centre for Advanced Wood Processing
July 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

We’re excited to announce that the Centre for Advanced Wood Processing (CAWP) at UBC in partnership with UBC SALA and U of T (Civil Engineering and Architecture) will be hosting the Robot Made workshop from September 27th to October 1st, 2025. This intensive, hands-on workshop explores the intersection of robotic fabrication, computational design, and advanced wood processing. Participants will have the opportunity to:
✅ Learn from leading researchers and industry experts
✅ Work directly with state-of-the-art robotic arms and CNC equipment
✅ Develop and prototype innovative timber design solutions
✅ Network with peers in architecture, engineering, design, and manufacturing
Whether you’re an architect, designer, engineer, educator, or maker interested in digital fabrication and timber innovation, this workshop is for you! The workshop has been approved for 31.75 Architectural Institute of B.C. (AIBC) core LU’s

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Is mass timber worth the risk? ‘It’s a birch of a problem’

By Peter Caulfield
The Journal of Commerce
July 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada West

Although mass timber is widely praised for speedy, low-carbon construction, not everyone has boarded that train yet. Many people in construction still believe the risks of using mass timber outweigh the benefits. To shed some light on the subject, Urbanarium and the UBC School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture recently sponsored a debate in Vancouver on the proposition: “Mass timber is not worth the risk(s).” On the pro side (not worth the risk) were Adam Rysanek, an associate professor at SALA, and Graham Brewster, the senior director of development at Wesgroup Properties. On the con side were Shawn Keyes, the executive director of WoodWorks BC, and now VP strategic growth and development at Intelligent City, and Jana Foit, a principal and higher education practice lead in the Vancouver studio of Perkins&Will. …“Everybody came in wanting mass timber to work. What they heard were practical arguments that showed that it’s not that easy.”

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Government Promotes Wood for Construction, Heating

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

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

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Prefabricated Timber Structure Advances at Hälsa on Royal York

By Anthony Teles
Urban Toronto
July 9, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: Canada, Canada East

Toronto development is currently defined by concrete-and-steel high-rise construction, but Hälsa at 230 Royal York Road stands out as a rare and sustainable alternative. A 9-storey purpose-built residential rental project rising in Mimico, Hälsa is being built using a prefabricated mass timber system. Designed by LWPAC Architects for Leader Lane Developments in partnership with Windmill Development Group, the mid-rise building is being assembled from robotically manufactured panels that are craned into place onsite. The project targets LEED Platinum certification and Tier 2 of the Toronto Green Standard. Located on the northwest corner at Drummond Street, the development just south of the Mimico GO station is part of Leader Lane’s Mimico Collection, a trio of mass timber infill buildings that seek to address Toronto’s housing crisis through more accessible and sustainable construction. …Once complete, Hälsa will rise 31.79m, delivering 60 new rental homes to South Etobicoke.

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Federal legislation wouldn’t allow banks to ditch paper records

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

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

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Softwood Lumber Board July Monthly Update

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

These stories and more in the July update:

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

 

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Mass timber could combat germs in hospital settings

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

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

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Mass Timber Could Drive Forest Expansion and Cut Emissions

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

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

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LIttle known, often used forest service division faces elimination

By Jeff Tome
The Times Obseerver
July 12, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States

The State, Private and Tribal Forestry division’s budget would be eliminated in a proposed bill in the Senate. The Forest Service division deals most directly with pests that affect forests. The State, Private and Tribal Forestry is the federal leader in providing technical and financial assistance to landowners and resource managers to help sustain the nation’s forests. The federal investment leverages the capacity of state agencies and partners to manage state and private lands and produce ecological, social and economic benefits for the American people. Part of that money goes locally to companies to invest in innovative ways to use lumber. Collins Pine in Kane, Pa., received a $300,000 grant to install dry kilns in 2024. …Nationally, the State, Private and Tribal Forestry division funds research into wood energy and the use of advanced wood products, such as cross laminated timber, in building construction.

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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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Here’s the pulp and paper story environmentalists ignore

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

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

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

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

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

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Using mass timber could elevate wood in hospital construction

University of Oregon
July 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: US West

University of Oregon researchers hope to make wood — often overlooked in health care facilities — more commonplace in those settings. Exposed wood, they’ve found, can resist microbial growth after a brief wetting. During the study, wood samples tested lower for levels of bacterial abundance than an empty plastic enclosure used as a control. “People generally think of wood as unhygienic in a medical setting,” said assistant professor Mark Fretz, co-director of the UO’s Institute for Health in the Built Environment and principal investigator for the study. “But wood actually transfers microbes at a lower rate than other less porous materials such as stainless steel.” Numerous studies support those properties of wood. A UO-led research team including scientists from the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in San Diego and Portland State University wanted to explore what happens when wood gets wet and then dries. 

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Study shows engineered wood is more microbe-resistant than plastic

By University of Oregon
TechXplore
July 7, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US West

Picture a hospital and you might imagine concrete, stainless steel or plastic. But University of Oregon researchers hope to make wood—often overlooked in health care facilities—more commonplace in those settings. Exposed wood, they’ve found, can resist microbial growth after it briefly gets wet. During their study, wood samples tested lower for levels of bacterial abundance than an empty plastic enclosure used as a control. “People generally think of wood as unhygienic in a medical setting,” said assistant professor Mark Fretz, co-director of the UO’s Institute for Health in the Built Environment and principal investigator for the study. “But wood actually transfers microbes at a lower rate than other less porous materials such as stainless steel.” In a recent study published in Frontiers in Microbiomes, they shared their discoveries about the effects of moisture on surface microbes and volatile organic compound emissions from mass timber.

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Wisconsin contractor joins $200M mass timber project

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

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

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Mass timber expands building options in Maine

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

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

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Milwaukee is building contemporary timber towers. What about Chicago?

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

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

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Mass Timber Curriculum Development for Engineering Students

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

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

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How the pulp & paper industry is encouraging more women to join

By Zhen Wang
The Post Crescent
July 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: United States, US East

Nationwide, women made up 26.4% of the roughly 775,000 people who worked in the paper manufacturing and printing industry in 2021, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. At pulp, paper, and paperboard mills, they made up 14% of positions. That’s what brought the Wisconsin Paper Council and Ahlstrom — a global Finnish company that produces specialty papers and packaging at five plants in Rhinelander, Mosinee, Kaukauna, De Pere and Stevens Point — gifted $20,000 to establish the program in 2023. In 2024, Ashman received $1,000 from the program after graduating from Appleton East High School. Now, at 19, Ashman works as an intern with Thilmany mill in Kaukauna, helping with environmental compliance and coordinating cleanup efforts along the Fox River. The scholarship was used to help pay for her college tuition. She said what was even more valuable was the internship opportunity she landed at the award-giving reception in 2024.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Business Development Mission to Japan in November

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

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

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Europe’s wood city: Sickla in Stockholm will be made almost entirely of timber

By Lucy Handley
CNBC News
July 15, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

©White Arkitekter

A huge, new city is being built in Sweden, but it’s not being constructed using steel or concrete — its main building material is wood. Part of the Swedish capital, Stockholm, is set to become the “world’s largest wooden construction project,” according to its developer Atrium Ljungberg, which will invest 12 billion Swedish krona (about $1.25 billion) into the project. Sickla — an industrial area to the south of Stockholm’s center once known for manufacturing diesel engines — is being redeveloped using cross-laminated timber, with the material being used in its buildings’ core, floors and walls. The new wooden homes, offices, schools and stores, will be interwoven with older structures, some of which have been converted into libraries or cinemas, and the area will extend to 250,000 square meters, or around 2.7 million square feet.

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Investigating the Seismic Resistance of Chilean Pine Wood for High-Rise Construction

Universidad de Santiago de Chile
July 14, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

A Fondecyt Regular project, led by Dr. Erick Saavedra from Usach’s Department of Civil Engineering, seeks to develop the scientific foundation for building high-rise structures with solid wood in seismic areas. While reinforced concrete has historically been the primary construction material in Chile, integrating new systems like wood-based alternatives presents a challenge. It requires rigorous scientific studies to validate their performance and build a solid technical foundation for their national implementation, especially crucial in a seismically prone country such as ours. Responding to this global trend, Dr. Erick Saavedra is leading a Fondecyt Regular project to develop high-fidelity multiscale computational models. These models will predict building performance during extreme earthquakes, optimize structural design, and generate new strategies to enhance lateral stability and reduce post-seismic displacement. The research will specifically utilize Chilean radiata pine, a species widely employed in the national forestry industry.

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Ireland’s Minister Healy-Rae launches new report on timber construction research needs

By Michael Healy-Rae, Minister for Forestry
The Government of Ireland
July 8, 2025
Category: Wood, Paper & Green Building
Region: International

GALWAY, Ireland — Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Michael Healy-Rae, announced a new report “Research and Development Needs for Timber in Construction in Ireland”. The report forms part of the work carried out by the Interdepartmental & Industry Working Group on Timber in Construction, which aims to increase the use of wood in construction while maximising the use of Irish-grown timber. The Minister also visited the facilities in the University of Galway and saw firsthand the research in timber currently taking place. Emphasising the role of research in driving low-carbon construction, Minister Healy-Rae said: “With the construction sector seeking more sustainable alternatives, it is vital we recognise the role our forests can play in shaping the future of our built environment. The report… sets out priority research and development actions to support greater use of timber in construction, sustainable building and carbon reduction.

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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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