“I was very excited when I heard we were getting a cross-laminated timber (CLT) press,” said Brian Via, the Regions Professor of forest products and member of the Auburn Mass Timber Collaborative (AMTC). Mass timber is a rapidly growing technology used in the design and construction fields, and the AMTC is becoming a leader in mass timber research, teaching and outreach in the Southeast. Now that the team has acquired a tool to manufacture its own CLT, faculty can do more research without having to leave campus or depend on outside partners. Auburn is the only academic institution in the Southeast and one of fewer than a dozen nationally to own a CLT press. Now, Auburn faculty across multiple disciplines can complete the cycle of mass timber production from start to finish — from sapling to shelter.