Building Sustainably: Mass Timber

The document defines mass timber as a class of engineered wood materials, such as cross-laminated timber, capable of supporting large structures. It highlights benefits including carbon storage, a potential 13% to 26.5% reduction in building material emissions, and wildfire risk mitigation through the removal of small-diameter trees. The text also details U.S. federal support via the USDA Wood Innovations Program and the 2018 Farm Bill, while addressing concerns regarding fire safety and moisture management.

• Mass timber offers significant climate benefits by sequestering carbon and displacing emissions from the carbon-intensive cement and steel industries. Using mass timber instead of these traditional materials could lower emissions associated with building materials by 13% to 26.5%.
• The use of mass timber can improve forest health and reduce wildfire hazards by creating an incentive to remove small-diameter or diseased trees. This process of "thinning" can sustainably provide the fiber needed for production when managed responsibly.
• Mass timber is projected to drive economic and workforce growth, with the global cross-laminated timber market expected to reach $3.56 billion by 2030. In Oregon, achieving a 5% construction market share for mass timber design could create 2,048 direct manufacturing jobs.
• The U.S. government supports the industry through the USDA's Wood Innovations Program, which has provided over $14 million in grants for at least 60 projects, and the 2018 Farm Bill, which incorporated the Timber Innovation Act of 2017 to increase investment in domestic manufacturing and research.

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} }