In 2024, the Canadian government released a new housing plan aimed at building more homes and addressing housing unaffordability. As part of that plan, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that $600 million in funding will be provided to build homes cheaper and quicker using “innovative technologies.” The funding is earmarked for building more housing, including prefab and modular homes, by automating processes and using materials like mass timber construction, robotics and 3D printing… Building materials like mass timber, including cross-laminated timber, offer a renewable low-carbon substitute for conventional materials, reducing a building’s carbon footprint. These modern methods have been successful internationally, producing quality construction that is quickly completedHowever, systematic obstacles like governmental inertia and mismatched incentives must also be tackled to unlock their full potential in Canada.
The federal government has pushed its target to achieve a net-zero electricity grid back 15 years to 2050 as part of new clean electricity regulations announced Tuesday — though officials maintain that target date was always the goal. Canada had previously signalled an aim to fully decarbonize electricity grids by 2035. But some provinces, namely Alberta and Saskatchewan, said that was simply not doable. Alberta Premier Danielle Smith swiftly responded to Ottawa’s plan by saying her province would immediately mount a legal challenge because the regulations wade into provincial jurisdiction. …The country’s electricity grid is already substantially green, with 85% of Canada’s power supply coming from non-emitting sources. But four provinces — Alberta, Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick — still rely on coal and natural gas. Committing to a net-zero electricity grid is an easy move for the other six provinces, which are already more than 90 per cent of the way there.
New actions are being implemented to help more people find affordable homes in the communities where they live and work. …Starting Jan. 1, 2025, the B.C. home-flipping tax will be in place to discourage investors from buying housing to turn a quick profit. People who sell their home within two years of buying will be subject to the tax, unless they qualify for an exemption, such as divorce, job loss or change in household membership. It is expected approximately 4,000 properties will be subject to the tax in 2025. All revenue from the tax will go directly into strengthening housing programs and building new affordable homes in B.C. …Other measures to help make homeownership more accessible and improve the supply of housing, which came into effect April 1, 2024, are new thresholds for the first-time homebuyers’ program and the newly built home exemption.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack today unveiled a new program to support American wood processing facilities. USDA Rural Development is partnering with USDA Forest Service to provide funding through the new 
Reaching the lumber industry’s vast market share potential will require growth of a variety of lumber-based and hybrid building systems, but steel-timber hybrid construction represents one of the greatest areas of opportunity. According to an analysis for the SLB by Forest Economic Advisors, steel and mass timber warehouses represent a potential annual volume of 2.4 BBF, while steel and mass timber multifamily projects represent 3.6 BBF of annual opportunity. The SLB has been working with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and constructsteel to unlock this opportunity, beginning by launching the Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings Conference in 2022. The partnership continued this year with the launch of “Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings: Case Studies,” a CTBUH research report funded by the SLB and constructsteel. The organizations celebrated the launch in September at the CTBUH 2024 International Conference
LEESBURG, VA. – The American Wood Council (AWC), International Code Council and WoodWorks have joined together to release an updated version of the free app to calculate maximum allowable heights and areas for buildings of various occupancy classifications and types of construction. The 
San Diego — Unlike many of the prefabricated accessory dwelling units (ADUs) flooding the California market, the 
Silver Maple Aviation is a new entrant to the aviation infrastructure sector but has already left an indelible mark on the industry. “Silver Maple Construction’s roots are in very high-end, tricky residential and subcommercial projects, and is new to the aviation space,” said Sean Flynn, company president. …Silver Maple Aviation is known for its ingenuity and fortitude. A project that embodies the company’s tenacity is a 210-foot-long-by-170-foot-wide hangar that was built for a private flight department in New Hampshire. “The Concord hangar project is what I believe to be the largest wooden structure, period, on the east coast,” he said. “We were asked not necessarily to build a green hangar but to build a massive hangar very quickly. …we went down the mass timber hangar route, which at the time was about how quick we could get the materials, although I had already been studying up on mass timber in general.”
This research concerned the possible use of waste poppy straw as an alternative source for producing lignocellulosic materials. The suitability of the materials for paper products and particleboard was determined based on the selected properties measured. While poppy-based particleboards need further optimization to match wood fibres, they show comparable properties to agricultural residues. Future research should focus on improving resin types and pressing conditions to enhance performance. From the point of view of paper products, poppy pulp produced by the pulping process has better properties than nitrate-alkaline pulp. …Therefore, both applications of waste poppy appear to be alternative raw materials in the future, especially in the case of wood scarcity, which can ensure the continuity of production and composite materials in an economically advantageous and more environmentally friendly way. Using poppy straw has environmental benefits such as reducing deforestation and the carbon footprint…
Answer: Yes, at least for well-being. Wood has many qualities that are impossible to replicate. There are many academically approved studies highlighting the positive impact of forests and trees on humans. Recently, there has also been high-quality research on the benefits of using wood as a construction material. Wood is a restorative material that supports well-being. A Slovakian study found that wooden materials with brownish colours are ideal for relaxation. Another study highlighted that the use of wooden materials positively impacts the human nervous system due to their appealing aesthetics. Seeing or smelling wood in a building boosts positive feelings and reduces negative perceptions of the environment. And this – a positive feeling about the environment – is not a minor thing, says Riina Muilu-Mäkelä, Research Manager and Senior Scientist at the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
The European Council has formally adopted the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, meaning it will now enter into force in EU law. As the final step in the ordinary legislative procedure, the Council’s approval of the Regulation allows it to be published in the EU’s Official Journal; in turn, its rules will apply eighteen months after its entry into force. It is hoped that the rules will cut down on the generation of new waste by encompassing the full life cycle of packaging. Among the Regulation’s targets are minimum recycled content thresholds, ranging from 10% for contact-sensitive packaging made of non-PET plastic by 2030 to 65% for single-use plastic bottles by 2040. The amount of recycled content in a pack, its material make-up, and other sustainability-related information must be provided to consumers through on-pack labelling, marking, and information. …Reuse targets have also been set for 2030, alongside indicative targets for 2040. 