ALL ABOUT MASS TIMBER

There are several important types of mass timber products, including cross-laminated timber (CLT), glued laminated timber (glulam), nail-laminated timber (NLT), dowel-laminated timber (DLT), mass plywood panels (MPP), laminated veneer lumber (LVL), parallel strand lumber (PSL), and laminated strand lumber (LSL). Want to learn more? Check out our information bulletin on the topic below. Diagrams by Sanjana Patel, Mass Timber Institute. If you would like to use our diagrams in your own work, send us an email!

IDENTIFYING MASS TIMBER RESEARCH PRIORITIES, BARRIERS TO ADOPTION AND ENGINEERING, PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION CHALLENGES IN CANADA

By: Taha Syed • 2020.

Mass timber construction in Canada is in the spotlight and emerging as a sustainable building system that offers an opportunity to optimize the value of every tree harvested and to revitalize a declining forest industry, while providing climate mitigation solutions. Little research has been conducted, however, to identify the mass timber research priorities of end users, barriers to adoption and engineering, procurement and construction challenges in Canada. This study helps bridge these gaps. The study also created an interactive, three-dimensional GIS map displaying mass timber projects across North America, as an attempt to offer a helpful tool to practitioners, researchers and students, and fill a gap in existing knowledge sharing.

A STUDY ON THE FEASIBILITY OF CONDUCTING LAMINATED VENEER LUMBER PRODUCTION IN THE WHITEFEATHER FOREST IN NORTHWESTERN ONTARIO WITHIN THE LANDS OF THE PEOPLE OF PIKANGIKUM

By: Feiran Xu • 2021.

Mass timber is an umbrella concept that refers to the large engineered wooden panels, columns, and beams that have been widely recognized as viable alternative to steel and concrete in the construction industry. In addition to the advantages of carbon sequestration, energy savings, fire resistance, and pre-assembly, mass timber offers Indigenous communities, especially those in rural areas like the Pikangikum First Nation in Northern Ontario, an opportunity to provide Indigenous youth training, to find a pathway for businesses in the community, to gain tax revenue, and to compete with the ordinary Canadian communities and their low-value commodity products such as pulp and softwood lumber. A BBC (Banker, Charnes, and Cooper) model in data envelopment analysis (DEA) is used to measure the technical efficiency of five small-scale Chinese mass timber manufacturers during 2012-2018, and a cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is used to analyze the feasibility of investing in a laminated veneer lumber (LVL) production line in the Pikangikum community. The technical efficiency results show that mass timber production technology is effective, mature, and can be imported. It is estimated to cost US$ 8.8 million and 33 people to set up the LVL production line with an annual output of 30,000 m3. The estimated net sales margin is 18.87%, payback in 5 years, and the 12-year internal rate of return (IRR) is 23%. In conclusion, conducting laminated veneer lumber production in the Whitefeather Forest in Northwestern Ontario within the lands of the People of Pikangikum is expected to be feasible and profitable.

OUTLOOK FOR MASS TIMBER: A SASKATCHEWAN CASE STUDY

By: Lindsay Dandridge • 2021.

Mass timber, an engineered wood product, is an environmentally acclaimed technological development that aims to compete with concrete and steel as the structural component in mid-rise and tall building construction. A feasibility study was conducted to assess the province of Saskatchewan’s forestry sector and its overall potential to support mass timber production and construction. An analysis of publicly available provincial documents and a literature review of mass timber products, building strategies and policies directed a qualitative research approach that informally questioned industry, government and institutional professionals. Document review and industry interviews revealed a surplus in wood supply that could potentially feed mass timber production. Government and education representatives identified a lack of discourse around mass timber. Overall, there is potential to supply mass timber manufacturing, but significant barriers exist that will likely prevent mass timber construction from being implemented in Saskatchewan any time soon.

HARDWOOD CLT PROGRAM IN SOUTHERN AND CENTRAL ONTARIO

By: Xincheng Li • 2021.

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a large prefabricated solid engineering plank made of multiple layers of planks glued together and it is primarily used in structures such as the floors, walls, and roofs of buildings. ANSI/APA PRG 320 is the world recognized CLT lumber production standard, and the main raw material of CLT has always been softwood rather than hardwood. However, the bending strength, compressive strength, and shear strength of hardwood CLT lumber are stronger than softwood CLT lumber. The large and underutilized hardwood resources in central and southern Ontario provide a huge resource advantage for the hardwood CLT project. This article uses the Cost-Benefit Assessments model to assess the feasibility of investing in hardwood CLT plants in central and southern Ontario. The results show that the payback period of the hardwood CLT factory is 5 years, and the rate of return on investment of 10 years, 15 years, and 20 years are all-around 11%. This study could strengthen investor confidence and it also identifies the direction for the development of hardwood CLT plants in central and southern Ontario.

RESEARCH LIBRARIES

• FPInnovations
• ThinkWood

INDUSTRY REPORTS

• Anderson R, Atkins D, Beck B, Dawson E, Gale CB, Hammond H, Kaiser B, Rawlings C. 2020. North American mass timber: State of the industry 2020. Missoula, MT: Forest Business Network.
• The Beck Group. 2018. Mass Timber Market Analysis. Portland OR.
• Bédard P, Fournier F, Gagnon S, Gingras A, Lavoie V, Robichard F, Julien F, Doucet M, Dallain P. 2010. Manufacturing Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) Technological and Economic Analysis. FPInnovations. Quebec, QC.
• Karacabeyli E, Gagnon S. 2019. Canadian CLT Handbook. Pointe-Clare, QC: FPInnovations.
• ThinkWood. 2019. Research in Progress: Mass Timber and Tall Wood Building Research. Canada and the United States. 40p.

GUIDES AND STANDARDS

• ANSI/APA PRG 320: Standard for Performance-Rated Cross-Laminated Timber
• BSLC/FII Nail Laminated Timber Design and Construction Guide
• National Lumber Grades Authority. Standard Rules for Canadian Lumber.

GOVERNMENT PUBLICATIONS

• Government of Ontario. 2020. Sustainable Growth: Ontario’s Forest Sector Strategy. 36 p.
• Natural Resources Canada. 2021. The state of Canada’s forests: Annual report 2020. Canadian Forest Service. 77p.
• Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry. 2017. Ontario’s Tall Wood Building Reference: A technical Resource for Developing Alternative Solutions under Ontario’s Building Code. Queen’s Printer for Ontario. 93 p.
• Zelinka SL, Williamson T, Martinson KL, Ritter MA. 2019. Research needs assessment for the mass timber industry: Proceedings of the 2nd North American mass timber research needs workshop. General Technical Report FPL-GTR-273. Madison WI: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Forest Products Laboratory.

JOURNAL ARTICLES

• Brandt, K., Wilson, A., Bender, D., Dolan, J., & Wolcott, M. (2019). Techno-Economic Analysis for Manufacturing Cross-Laminated Timber. BioResources, 14(4), 7790-7804.
• Cabiyo, B., Fried, J. S., Collins, B. M., Stewart, W., Wong, J., & Sanchez, D. L. (2021). Innovative wood use can enable carbon-beneficial forest management in California. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 118(49).