The Canada Wood Group Newsletter includes these headlines and more:
- Breakthrough Fire Approvals Achieved to Advance Midrise Wood Construction in Japan
- Midrise Rising in Japan – A tour of the Mocxion project, a 5-storey midrise condo in Tokyo built with Canadian SPF, Douglas Fir, and OSB.
- Onwards and Upwards: Largest Ever Midrise 2×4 Project Completed in Kyushu – A new 5-storey employee dormitory in Kitakyushu—Japan’s largest-ever 2×4 project—has been completed – making extensive use of Canadian SPF, plywood, and engineered wood.
- South Korea’s Public Housing Giant Looks to Wood – South Korea’s Land and Housing Corporation (LH) is rethinking how it builds the tens of thousands of homes it delivers each year. Its new study urges timber construction as a key strategy for meeting the nation’s 2050 carbon neutrality target.
- From Demonstration to Mainstream: How Canadian Douglas Fir is Powering China’s Heavy Timber Boom
The Headlines
Technological advances are also primary drivers of construction material innovations. …Also, there are new 
COQUITLAM, BC — Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), announced an investment of over $6.8 million for two Coquitlam-based businesses that are developing technologies to reduce waste and advance sustainability in the energy and textile sectors. …Novo Textile Company is receiving an investment of over $1.8 million to expand its textile recycling capacity. Novo plans to bind recycled fibres with BC wood pulp fibres to produce Canadian-made textiles at a competitive price. This will strengthen Canadian supply chains and divert 15 million pounds of garment waste from landfills annually. …Novo Textiles was incorporated in 1991 as a supplier of fibre-filled home textiles. Most recently, Novo introduced a textile recycling production line, continuing its evolution within the textile sector. It is estimated that 92 million tonnes of textile waste ends up in landfills annually.
The lumber and sawmilling sector demands skilled leaders who combine technical expertise with sound business acumen. BCIT now offers two Associate Certificates, designed to be completed part-time and fully online in just 12 months, enabling working professionals to advance without leaving the industry. The Associate Certificate in the Business of Sawmilling (starting October 2025) focuses on the operational, financial, and strategic aspects of modern sawmill management. Topics include production planning, quality optimization, supply chain considerations, and market dynamics. Graduates are equipped to contribute to profitability and long-term competitiveness. The Associate Certificate in Industrial Wood Processing (IWP) (starting January 2026) emphasizes the science and technology of wood conversion. With courses in wood properties, manufacturing processes, quality control, and technical problem-solving, the program prepares participants to step into supervisory roles with confidence. Both programs are tailored for career advancement in the North American lumber industry.
With recent U.S. decisions increasing countervailing duties on Canadian softwood lumber to over 35%, there’s an unprecedented level of uncertainty about how the market will be impacted. These escalating tariffs threaten to disrupt supply chains, inflate costs, and reshape the forestry industry. At BC Wood, we’re dedicated to helping you navigate these challenges. Which is why we will be hosting a Tariffs Panel at the Global Buyers Mission (September 4, 2025). Introduced by Minister Ravi Parmar, the panel will bring together top leaders to analyze the challenges, opportunities, and strategies amid escalating trade tensions. Moderated by Mo Amir, GM of SPF Precut Lumber, the panel will include: Nick Arkle, CEO, Gorman Brothers Lumber; Liz Kovach, President, Supply-Build Canada; and Kurt Niquidet, President, BC Lumber Trade Council.
TORONTO — George Brown College’s (GBC) Limberlost Place has helped trigger major changes to Ontario’s building codes and is playing a key role in the province’s strategy to grow its mass timber construction sector, college officials say. The 10-storey academic building—Canada’s first institutional structure made from mass timber and designed to achieve net-zero carbon emissions—has served as a catalyst for the Ontario government’s Advanced Wood Construction Action Plan, unveiled on June 26. The action plan outlines four goals: Promote awareness and use of advanced wood construction; Remove regulatory barriers in codes and standards; Stimulate innovation and investment in advanced manufacturing; and Showcase successful projects to build industry confidence. Limberlost Place embodies all four goals. …By demonstrating the viability and benefits of mass timber at scale, George Brown College has positioned itself—and Ontario—as a leader in sustainable construction and advanced wood manufacturing.
There may have been dissension surrounding the Morris Street bikeway, but the Halifax mayor and regional council found common ground with mass timber. Mayor Andy Fillmore tabled a motion at Tuesday’s council meeting to direct the chief administrative officer to prepare a staff report that, with changes to land-use bylaws and amendments to a municipal planning strategy, would knock down barriers to mass timber construction to help expedite housing builds. That would include the potential to increase the height of built-form requirements from 10 to 12 storeys for mass timber construction. The motion passed unanimously. “The principal reason (for supporting the mayor’s motion) is that this unlocks some newfound potential in local supply,” Coun. Jean St-Amand (Bedford-Wentworth) said. “I think that’s something that can have a very positive impact to the acceleration of our ability and our capacity to build.
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SLB-Funded NYC Mass Timber Studio Expands With Landmark Projects: Building on the success of its first round of projects in 2024, the NYC Mass Timber Studio announced a second cohort of selected projects this month to help catalyze deployment of wood construction throughout New York City. … After supporting successful accelerator programs in Boston, Georgia, and New York City, the SLB is now exploring collaborations with cities in Arizona, California, Colorado, Pennsylvania, Oregon, and Texas. 
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.
A Seattle proposal to add more housing above the historic Doyle Building near Pike Place Market is bringing out significant opposition, with nearby condominium owners seeking to utilize the only point of leverage they have: the city’s landmarks board. Clark/Barnes architects are working with the owners of the four-story building…. 
When Millard Dority came out of retirement to oversee the expansion of Jesup Memorial Library, he had one goal: to prove that Maine could produce its own cross-laminated timber. Instead, he uncovered a glaring hole in the state’s forest economy. …But with no CLT factories in Maine, the wood had to be trucked from New England to Illinois for processing, then hauled back to Bar Harbor—a headache in a state blanketed by forests. …The Jesup Library expansion is one of just 27 CLT projects in Maine, using spruce-pine-fir and eastern hemlock from New England. Forestry expert Andy Fast said these underused species are finding new life through CLT, but warned, “Supply chain efficiencies will determine whether it’s a viable product longer term.” Despite interest, Maine has failed to land a CLT manufacturer. LignaTerra Global and SmartLam both announced plans in 2018, only to back out. [to access the full story a Bangor Daily News subscription is required].
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.
This overview traces the modern history of wood science and technology, particularly from the European perspective. It begins with the early forestry schools in 18th-century Germany, which influenced the founding of similar institutions worldwide. These schools introduced technical subjects, including wood physics, to meet industrial demand, especially from the mining sector. Before formal studies began, early research on wood properties, including moisture relations and strength, appeared in encyclopaedias. With the Industrial Revolution, interest in wood as a construction material grew, linking wood research to engineering and materials science. In the early 20th century, dedicated wood technology institutes marked the birth of wood science as a distinct discipline. …The future of wood science lies in sustainability and the efficient use of resources. As interest in renewable, bio-based alternatives to steel and concrete grows, further research on wood functionalisation and modification will be vital. 
The Danish timber industry is warning of significant financial strain following the introduction of new packaging regulations, which came into effect on 1 January as part of the EU’s packaging directive. According to the Danish Wood Packaging Association (DTE), the rules on extended producer responsibility place the cost burden on manufacturers, even when customers dictate the design and specifications. DTE argues this “uneven” implementation could cost the sector over DKK 60 million annually, with pallet prices expected to rise by around 20%. …The association also criticised the fee structure, claiming it relies on outdated data and fails to differentiate between clean, recyclable wood and mixed wood waste, unnecessarily inflating costs and threatening Danish jobs. DTE is calling for reforms to align payment with design responsibility, adjust fees based on environmental impact, and ensure imported packaging is subject to the same standards.
THE majority of consumers cannot identify the primary cause of deforestation – with an increasing number linking it to timber production. That’s going by the results of a major survey from the paper and pulp industry, which also found that more than 60 per cent of people believe only recycled paper should be used to produce new paper products. In contrast, 60 per cent of European consumers believe urban development poses the greatest threat, an increase from 55 per cent in both 2021 and 2023. 58 per cent believe palm oil plantations (up from 52 per cent in 2023), 54 per cent think construction and timber (up from 52 per cent in 2023), 52 per cent believe energy and wood fuel (slightly down from 54 per cent), and 46 per cent deem the paper and pulp industry is the most significant contributor – up from 42 per cent in 2023. …In reality, deforestation is primarily driven by agricultural expansion, especially in tropical and sub-tropical regions.
Timber roof trusses have the lowest climate impact across all measured span lengths when compared to concrete, steel, and glulam options. A study conducted by Zeina Alasadi and Selma Bergström Denizoglu at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, shows that nail plate connected timber trusses consistently outperform other materials in reducing CO₂ emissions, even when more timber units are required to match the span coverage of a single truss made from concrete or steel. The analysis covered trusses with spans from 6 to 26 meters and focused exclusively on emissions from the production phase, using life cycle assessment (LCA) data corresponding to stages A1–A3. The timber trusses were evaluated using verified environmental product declarations (EPDs) from Derome, which supplied design specifications and material volumes. Timber trusses with spans of 6, 8, 12, and 20 meters generated CO₂ emissions of 59.72 kg, 78.5 kg, 145.15 kg, and 352.5 kg respectively when scaled to match standard center distances.
The European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers (FEFPEB) has advised that the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR) will not have significant implications for customers using wood pallets and packaging for transport. The organization 
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.