The US must scale up domestic manufacturing to keep pace with the growing demand for mass timber builds, as gaps in local timber manufacturing are responsible for slowing widespread adoption and leaving domestic suppliers with little choice but to rely on traditional steel and concrete construction systems.
That is according to Brian Brashaw, the Assistant Director of Wood Innovations for the US Forest Service, who revealed that the federal agency is investing heavily in local manufacturers (like Smartlam North America) to build more assets, such as the San Antonio Spurs’ new state-of-the-art home court, out of timbers sourced from US National Forests. “Mass timber and CLT have been a priority for creating new markets for wood products,” Bradshaw said today. “Since 2015, the US has 13 new mass timber plants that are capitalising on commercial, institutional and multifamily building markets.”
Helping expand operations in Columbia Falls, Montana, and Dothan, Alabama, Derek Ratchford—SmartLam’s CEO—said grants from the US Forest Service have helped grow its footprint in the Pacific Nortwest and Southeast: “Developers and others are realising that constructing with mass timber is an efficient and effective investment, one that benefits the development and growth of local economies and the goal of sustaining America’s renewable forest resources,” he said.
Steel tariffs could make mass timber cost-neutral in the United States.
It comes after Chris Evans, the CEO of another US mass timber manufacturer, the Swinerton-owned Timberlab, said that new tariffs on steel and aluminium could make mass timber systems cost-neutral or better across more markets. Speaking to Construction Drive last month, Evans said you only need to look to the past when a shortage of steel and long lead times for open web joints led to steel roof systems being converted to wood roof systems:
“That’s a good example of how that effect over on the steel side increases the demand for mass timber products,” he said. “(And) I think it’s no different, if steel prices go up and tariffs caused that throughout the whole system, then what that will do is help make mass timber cost neutral or better in more markets.”
And whilst the US industry is now operating at just 39% capacity (down from 47% last year), according to a 339-page report published at the International Mass Timber Conference, Evans said, “there are obviously markets where there’s lots of building going on, in the Southeast and in Texas…but in other places like Seattle and Portland, it’s sluggish at best.”
“Mass timber is a viable building system, and it will take market share of steel and concrete. Steel and concrete have their time and place in buildings. Mass timber does too,” he said. “(But) I think that the thing that will help continue to grow the market is other companies doing what we did, coming in and putting in some CNC capacity to help make building components, to help make mass timber buildings. The supply chain will continue to get rounded out over time.”
