Oregon mass timber sector shows significant economic potential

A study by Oregon State University and the Oregon Department of Forestry indicates that Oregon’s mass timber sector, which includes engineered products like cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (glulam), has significant economic potential. Researchers used production- and demand-based modeling to estimate the market value and its contributions to jobs, labor income, and economic output within the state.

In a related application of timber utility, Oregon State University researchers are assisting Google subsidiary Planetary Ventures in a project to salvage historic Douglas-fir lumber. The wood, originally used to construct a World War II-era airship hangar at Moffett Federal Airfield in California, is being tested to determine if it meets modern structural requirements for reuse in new construction, aiming to prevent the valuable old-growth material from being sent to landfills.