Mass timber has huge potential when it comes to reducing the carbon footprints of buildings, and Canada is well-positioned to become a world leader in the space, according to a new report from Royal Bank of Canada. The report, released Oct. 27 by the RBC Climate Action Institute, part of the bank’s thought leadership department, notes that while mass timber has a much lower emissions profile than concrete or steel, it still only makes up one per cent of the North American construction sector. “Concrete and steel’s emissions (profiles are) six and five times greater than wood, respectively,” the report said, noting that concrete, steel and aluminum in buildings alone contributed six per cent of Canada’s total greenhouse gas emissions in 2022. If developers were to swap concrete and steel with mass timber, there would be a 12 per cent to 25 per cent drop in building emissions, the report found.
The emergence of mass timber in Canada as a complement and alternative to concrete and steel first emerged in 2007, with the completion of several commercial and institutional buildings in British Columbia, Ontario and Quebec. …Governments or colleges/universities commissioned most of the early commercial and institutional buildings. And while they still dominate the building type mix, there’s a notable shift to multi-storey residential buildings, driven by private developers and builders. Today, a third of all planned and under construction mass timber projects are residential multi-storey projects. …While there are fundamental challenges that must be addressed… there’s industry consensus that these challenges are not insurmountable. Now is the time for all players in the building sector to work together to act on these challenges and solutions. And for Canada to showcase to the world that we are a nation of innovators in building construction and climate action.:format(webp)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tgam/3T5T23FS3NDX7HMIDXZR4SC5AE.JPG)
New funding for value-added wood producers and manufacturing businesses in the Kootenays will protect workforces and support strong communities. …As part of the BC Manufacturing Jobs Fund, nearly $500,000 is being invested into Kootenay businesses to help them innovate for the future. As much as $400,000 will support a capital improvement project by Creston’s J.H. Huscroft Ltd., a value-added speciality manufacturer of glulam, trim, boarding and flooring. The company will purchase and replace equipment that will boost productivity and capacity at its sawmill, protecting 75 jobs and expanding the types of logs that can be processed. …“Today, we are funding companies that are expanding our industries and finding new ways to get value from our forests and other sectors,” said Bruce Ralston, Minister of Forests. “We are modernizing and innovating so that small communities in our province will have more stable economies and good-paying jobs.”
Construction sites are hit by fire in unexpected ways, whether due to improperly stored construction materials that catch fire or a vandal intentionally setting a blaze. …Those who adopt new materials and technologies, and also take steps to mitigate the risks, can lessen the threat of fire and prevent their projects from going up in flames. …Wood-framed structures are particularly vulnerable to fire risk. …Therefore, contractors who build wood-framed structures must be mindful of the risks and take steps beyond traditional fire mitigation strategies to protect their projects. …Consider alternative materials: in the last decade, Canada has seen the construction of nearly 500 mass timber structures – and more are going up every year. Introduce specialty products: introducing a fire-resistive coating to the wood used to construct a building’s frame can significantly lessen the risk of a catastrophic fire event… Insurers may offer more competitive premiums and conditions to builders who utilize these materials
MISSISSAUGA, Ontario — Canada’s largest display of industrial woodworking machinery and supplies kicks off Thursday, November 2 at the International Centre for a three-day run. WMS is back, featuring more than 150 exhibitors who will be displaying a wide range of woodworking equipment, materials, hardware, software, supplies, and services. This marks the return of WMS, the first time since 2019, following cancellations due to the pandemic. “Anticipation is building for WMS to make its grand return,” said Tim Fixmer, President and CEO of CCI Canada, the event’s owner. “A wealth of cutting-edge technologies, materials, and displays, will be making their Canadian debut,” said Fixmer. View the 2023 WMS 
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SKELLEFTEA, Sweden — Construction of one of the tallest timber buildings in the world — the Sara Cultural Center here — began with a pine seedling planted almost a century ago. …the tree grew to become part of a grand experiment in sustainable architecture — one that seeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and store carbon in revolutionary “mass timber” structures going up around the world. Constructing shelter from logs — Abe Lincoln-style — is old-school … wood has been humanity’s go-to building material for low-rise dwellings for thousands of years. …But, now, building codes are being rewritten in Europe and the United States to accommodate big wooden structures. And trailblazing architects and engineers — and their early-adopter clients — are in a proof-of-concept race to erect ever-taller timber towers. …Advocates want to show that the buildings will not fall over. That they are not firetraps. That they can be built quickly — at competitive prices.
The SLB and its funded programs delivered promising results in the second quarter, outperforming on a wide number of measures while defending existing market share and making strategic investments to boost revenue streams. Along with generating incremental demand of 454 MM BF, the programs accounted for 1.3 MM metric tons of sequestered and avoided CO2. A few key Q2 highlights:
Five winners of the 
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In the quest for vintage tone, the question remains: what about the wood? Here is everything you need to know about the torrefying process and what it means for guitar. Is the tone really in the wood, and do old guitars really sound better because the wood has dried out? Few would dispute that vintage and modern acoustic guitars tend to sound different. Different doesn’t necessarily mean better, but for some players ‘vintage’ equates to tonal nirvana. Is there a way to build ‘vintage’ tone into brand-new guitars? Advocates of roasting or torrefying wood believe there is, and the science may back them up. …Although the widespread adoption of torrefied tonewoods is a relatively recent development in guitar making, the process probably goes back millennia. …Torrefied wood is also said to have the stiffness and tap tone response of decades-old wood, so it sounds more ‘vintage’. 
The compelling case for biophilic design, particularly incorporating natural materials like wood, is firmly grounded in quantifiable scientific data. A landmark study by Tsunetsugu et al. (2007) discovered that exposure to wooden environments can result in a significant 10% reduction in blood pressure, a 6% decrease in heart rate, and a 15% decrease in stress hormone levels among participants. Building on this solid foundation, Kellert et al. (2008) conducted extensive research revealing that biophilic elements, including wood, have a measurable impact on cognitive function, improving it by an average of 8% and elevating emotional well-being, with a reported 12% increase in positive emotions. Recent studies by Fell (2010) and Burnard and Kutnar (2015) corroborate these findings. They provide tangible evidence of the benefits of wooden interiors, consistently demonstrating a 9-12% reduction in stress responses, a 15% improvement in emotional states, and a 10-15% enhancement in cognitive performance.
Wood is the source for a brick-breaking mini robotic muscle material developed by researchers in Sweden and Germany. The material — a specially-developed hydrogel — can shape-shift, expand and contract on demand when controlled with electronic impulses of less than 1 volt. Robotics is just one potential use for the material, which is made with cellulose nanofibers (CNFs) derived from wood. The technology also presents possibilities in medicine and biochemical production. The results were reported in Advanced Materials (Electrochemically Controlled Hydrogels with Electrotunable Permeability and Uniaxial Actuation) by researchers at KTH Royal Institute of Technology. Unlike robotic muscles that expand with the power of pressurized air or liquid, these hydrogels swell due to water movement driven by electrochemical pulses, says Tobias Benselfelt, a researcher at KTH Royal Institute of Technology’s Division of Fibre Technology. The material’s key components are water, carbon nanotubes as a conductor, and cellulose nanofibers that are sourced from wood pulp.
