Lumber prices across the United States saw a 90% increase in May 2021 on the previous 12 months. …In Canada, as in the United States, a combination of trees being destroyed by beetles and forest fires, and the over-harvesting of what remains, means forests cannot grow fast enough to replenish themselves. The result is an ever-shrinking supply towards the timber supply chain for construction, just as demand is surging. For Wisconsin-based WholeTrees Structures, the need for careful management and use of timber inspired the creation of their company in 2007. Founded on an off-grid forest farm, and powered by solar panels and a generator, the team began using CAD and BIM to create structural round timber systems along with sustainable principles. …The company operates out of Madison, WI, and Seattle, WA, with the goal of creating a restorative timber supply chain for the commercial construction industry.
Growing and diversifying BC’s value-added wood export sector, has long been an objective of the forest sector—which is why governments and industry invest in market expansion activities. Ask any value-added manufacturer what it takes to accomplish this and you’re apt to hear about the usual constraints to expansion, such as a lack of skilled labour, fibre supply, financing and market intel/experience. But ask the same question of value-added manufacturers that have taken BC Wood’s Export Readiness Program and you’re likely to hear more about their confidence in achieving export growth. The proof is in the survey responses from the last training cohort—in which 100% of the participants said the program was likely or very likely to grow their export sales in the next 12 months, and all agreed that the support materials and recordings were excellent, as was the trainer Greg Henderson 
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Demand for sustainable building is increasing as efforts to cut carbon emissions accelerate and alternative materials are being used more frequently in construction in response to the supply chain crisis. However, some insurers remain wary of the risks, especially if products and techniques are untested in the field, experts say. A growing number of buildings are pursuing sustainable certifications, such as LEED and WELL and other resiliency standards… Initially insurers priced coverage for mass timber projects like light wood frame because there was no loss history for the product in the U.S. Now it is priced somewhere between light wood frame and steel and concrete construction, said Michelle Luster, corporate risk manager at Swinerton Inc. “My hope is that we can get insurers comfortable enough at some point in the near future to price it much the same way as they would type 1 concrete and steel,” she said
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on May 27 announced more than $32 million to fund 2022 wood innovations and community grants. Projects to support bioenergy, biofuel and biobased products production are among those to receive funding. According to the USDA, the 2022 funding is bolstered by $12 million from President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Funding awarded through the programs also leverages $93 million in partner funds, bringing the total to more than $125 million for the 99 funded projects. “Wood innovation and community wood grants projects like these show us how we can tackle problems like the wildfire crisis and climate change while creating new markets, supporting jobs, building affordable housing and improving conditions on our forests at the same time,” Vilsack said.
A new method for creating wood-like material in a laboratory could be used to ‘grow’ products with exact shapes and specific material properties, according to its developers. Aimed at providing an environmentally friendly and low-waste alternative to forestry, researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) pioneered the tuneable technique to generate wood-like plant material in a lab. The process could enable a manufacturer to ‘grow’ a wooden product such as a table without needing to cut down trees or process lumber, the researchers said. By adjusting certain chemicals during the growth process, the researchers said they can precisely control the physical and mechanical properties of the resulting material, such as stiffness and density. Using 3D bioprinting techniques, they can also grow plant material in shapes, sizes, and forms that are not found in nature.
The guide is the USA’s first-ever set of recommendations for hybrid steel frames with mass timber floors. …Design Guide 37 illustrates the potential of hybrid steel-frame buildings with mass-timber floors for achieving low-embodied carbon while optimising steel and mass timber. It provides a context for the new building typology, detailing strategies from the perspective of multiple disciplines. By facilitating this new generation of sustainable buildings, the guide will help accelerate the use of hybrid timber and steel in multistorey residential and commercial construction, said Arup. …The guide says that… hybrid steel-frame buildings with mass timber floor panels allow for longer beam spans and reduced column size than comparable mass-timber post and beam construction, making it an attractive option for market-driven spaces such as office buildings. 
The USDA Forest Service announced more than $32 million in funding for wood innovation and community wood grants — including three projects in Michigan. The grants aim to expand the use of wood products, strengthen emerging wood markets, and support active management to improve forest health and resilience. Michigan’s trio of funded projects through the wood innovation grants program total more than $750,000, and include:
An audit of tall mass timber buildings turned up 139 such structures around the world either complete, under construction, or proposed. The audit of mass timber structures of eight stories or higher by the 
