A team of leading experts has created the world’s first North American Mass Timber Report. Call it disruption in the world of building construction. Call it re-imagining how schools, apartment complexes, and even taller buildings are designed and built. Indeed, support for using mass timber products in construction keeps building across the world…literally…as the building industry finds itself on a new frontier.
Given the largely uncharted territory of working with mass timber in the United States and Canada, including its supply chain elements and accompanying manufacturing and building techniques, a comprehensive North American reference guide has been lacking until now.
Recently, a consortium of forestry, forest product, and business development, experts rolled out the 2019 State of the Industry North American Mass Timber Report. At just over 100 pages, the report is a complete primer on the mass timber supply chain, from seedling to building. The book is a collaborative effort of The Beck Group, Forest Business Network, Treesource, and Doug Fir Consulting, all key researchers in the emerging field of mass timber. More information as well as an online order form to purchase the report in hard copy and ebook can be found at www.masstimberreport.com.
“The report is a powerful reference tool with a lot of solid information in it,” said Roy Anderson, a forestry expert and vice-president of The Beck Group, based in Portland, Oregon. “Mass timber in North America is a whole different business model, requiring a need to compile critical information for stakeholders in order to propel the industry forward. We’re excited about mass timber and its potential and this report gives developers, architects, builders, and more the ammo needed to proceed with and sell mass timber projects with greater confidence. We expect to update the report every year.”
According to Anderson, the book features all stages of the supply chain, starting at the forest level, addressing sustainability and harvest potential. It then moves into actual product lines such as cross-laminated timber, glulam, and other innovative building materials. Types of manufacturing and glues, fire retardancy and building strength, emerging standards, and new ways of putting up structures are all detailed with clear illustrations. Case studies and current best practices are included to give a full look at emerging trends.
“Since launching the Annual International Mass Timber Conference in 2016, we’ve brought in over 200 industry experts from around the world to give technical and business presentations to thousands of attendees,” said Craig Rawlings, CEO of Forest Business Network, based in Missoula, Montana.
The annual Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon, USA has grown from about 500 attendees in 2016 to more than 1,500 in 2019, with architects and builders joining forestry and manufacturing experts to stoke the movement in building concepts. Sessions tackle sustainable forestry, code changes, modular/prefab, affordable housing, climate change, and more. While sold separately, the printed report is a synergistic companion to the conference in its broad coverage.
“Forest products people, builders and architects are all hungry for information on this emerging sector, many interested specifically in North America and its potential as a sizable mass timber market,” said Rawlings. “As the conference has realized exponential growth year-over-year, we see a strong need for a complete picture of the entire North American mass timber supply chain. Now we feel it’s the right time to encapsulate this vital information in our first annual State of the Industry Report.”
Hard copy and ebooks are available to order at www.masstimberreport.com