Building Sustainably: Mass Timber

This fact sheet from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) explains the nature, benefits, and regulatory support for mass timber—engineered wood materials used for large-scale construction. It highlights mass timber's potential to reduce building emissions, store carbon, and support sustainable forest management, while addressing concerns regarding fire safety and moisture.

• Mass timber is a category of engineered wood materials, such as cross-laminated timber, nail-laminated timber, and glue-laminated timber, that is strong enough for large structures. A 25-story apartment building in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, which opened in 2022, is the world's tallest mass timber structure. As of June 2023, there were 1,860 completed or planned mass timber projects in the United States.
• Using mass timber instead of concrete and steel can lower emissions associated with building materials by 13% to 26.5%. The material provides carbon storage because trees sequester carbon during growth, and some of that carbon remains stored when used in mass timber products. Additionally, mass timber can aid forest management by creating incentives to remove small-diameter trees that pose wildfire hazards.
• Mass timber offers several construction and economic advantages: it can be faster, quieter, and more earthquake-resistant than other high-rise construction methods. Economically, the global cross-laminated timber market is projected to reach $3.56 billion by 2030. In Oregon, if mass timber reached a 5% share of the state's construction market, it could create 2,048 direct manufacturing jobs.
• While mass timber can be more fire-resistant than traditional light-frame wood construction, it is susceptible to moisture-related issues like fungi, insects, and mold because it dries more slowly than conventional lumber. Mitigation strategies include using preservative-treated wood, naturally-durable species, and moisture-excluding techniques.
• The U.S. government supports the mass timber industry through various programs. The USDA's Wood Innovations Program has provided over $14 million in grants for at least 60 projects. Furthermore, the 2018 Farm Bill incorporated provisions from the Timber Innovation Act of 2017 to increase investment in domestic manufacturing and provide technical support to designers and code officials.

APA

Brind’Amour, M., & Bertrand, S. (2023). Building Sustainably: Mass Timber. Environmental and Energy Study Institute. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Mass_Timber_2023.pdf

Chicago

Brind’Amour, Molly, and Savannah Bertrand. Building Sustainably: Mass Timber. Environmental and Energy Study Institute, 2023. https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Mass_Timber_2023.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Brind’Amour |first1=Molly |last2=Bertrand |first2=Savannah |title=Building Sustainably: Mass Timber |publisher=Environmental and Energy Study Institute |date=September 2023 |url=https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Mass_Timber_2023.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{brindamour2023building, author = {Brind’Amour, Molly and Bertrand, Savannah}, title = {{Building Sustainably: Mass Timber}}, institution = {Environmental and Energy Study Institute}, year = {2023}, month = sep, url = {https://www.eesi.org/files/FactSheet_Mass_Timber_2023.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }