When Millard Dority came out of retirement to oversee the expansion of Jesup Memorial Library, he had one goal: to prove that Maine could produce its own cross-laminated timber (CLT). Instead, he uncovered a glaring hole in the state’s forest economy.
Dority, former building manager at College of the Atlantic, had previously sourced CLT from Austria for campus projects. This time, he wanted to use Maine wood. “When you consider we have all of these paper mills that are laying fallow, if one of those were a CLT manufacturer, it would make life a whole lot easier,” he told Bangor Daily News. But with no CLT factories in Maine, the wood had to be trucked from New England to Illinois for processing, then hauled back to Bar Harbor—a headache in a state blanketed by forests.
CLT, a mass timber product made by gluing layers of wood boards with alternating grain, rivals steel and concrete in strength but is lighter and more sustainable. Though common in Europe, it’s still gaining traction in the U.S. Maine only added CLT to its building code in 2021. Architect Ellen Belknap of SMRT Architects & Engineers said adoption hinges on visibility: “Builders need to see structures made from it showing the material can function reliably to replace steel and concrete.”
The Jesup Library expansion is one of just 27 CLT projects in Maine, using spruce-pine-fir and eastern hemlock from New England. Forestry expert Andy Fast said these underused species are finding new life through CLT, but warned, “Supply chain efficiencies will determine whether it’s a viable product longer term.”
Despite interest, Maine has failed to land a CLT manufacturer. LignaTerra Global and SmartLam both announced plans in 2018, only to back out—LignaTerra due to property liens and financing issues, SmartLam citing cheaper costs in Alabama. Belknap said Maine gets four to five serious inquiries a year, but none stick. “CLT is a great environmental benefit, but the dollars and cents case is harder to make.”
Charlotte Mace, director of the Maine Office of Business Development, said the state is trying to change that. The Dirigo Business Incentives program offers workforce support and a capital investment credit of up to $2 million. “Large-scale projects, such as major commercial or infrastructure developments, are most often the market drivers for establishing new production facilities,” she said.
Maine has funded several CLT projects, including Jesup Library, the Island Falls pedestrian bridge, and Whole Trees Structures in Ashland. But competition is fierce. Massachusetts authorised $3 million for a CLT plant, and Boston launched a mass timber accelerator in 2022. Maine’s own accelerator is based at the University of Maine.
Still, the Northeast market isn’t mature enough to justify the $75 million to $150 million needed for a factory. Maine’s fragmented supply chain—dominated by private woodlot owners—adds complexity. High interest rates and underused CLT factories nationwide further stall momentum.
Tariff uncertainty looms large. Potential duties on Canadian and European CLT could boost domestic production, but also raise costs for other building components. “It’s difficult to predict the building’s final price,” said Bill Parsons, COO at WoodWorks. A 2023 legislative study by Shane O’Neill of the University of Maine called for better incentives, workforce development, and a flagship CLT project to serve as a teaching tool. “It all comes down to what the incentive package is that we can put together,” O’Neill said. “We’re not a very rich state.”
Rep. Sam Zager, D-Portland, is pushing a $50 million bond bill to help finance a CLT facility using sustainably harvested Maine wood. “Sending Maine wood out of state is the sort of problem his bill aims to solve,” he said. Krysta West of the Maine Forest Products Council supports the proposal. “I don’t think we’ve missed the mark yet,” she said. “But if this facility is located in Maine or elsewhere, it still will be beneficial to Maine’s forest industry.”
For now, the Jesup Library stands as both a symbol of possibility—and a reminder of what Maine still lacks.
