News in engineered wood products mass timber


Stora Enso to Invest 9 Million Euros in Automated Cross-Laminated Timber Coating Line at Ybbs, Austria Sawmill

Stora Enso announced on Friday (2-11-22) that it will be investing 9 million euros in an automated cross-laminated timber (CLT) coating line at their Ybbs sawmill in Austria. In the news release, the company said the investment will further strengthen its position as a leading global provider of engineered wood products for low carbon, sustainable buildings.

LP Building Solutions to Sell its Equity Interest in I-Joist Joint Venture to Resolute Forest Products

LP Building Solutions announced today (2-14-22) that it has entered into an agreement with Resolute Forest Products Inc. to sell its 50% equity interest in two joint ventures that produce I-joists. The sale, which is subject to customary adjustments, is valued at $50 million. The joint ventures are comprised of Resolute-LP Engineered Wood Larouche Inc. and Resolute-LP Engineered Wood St-Prime Limited Partnership.

Timberlink Investing Millions to Upgrade Tarpeena Sawmill and Construct New CLT/GLT Plant

Timberlink’s Tarpeena sawmill, located in South Australia, is undergoing a multi-million-dollar expansion. The project will include an upgrade the existing sawmill and the construction of Australia’s first cross laminated timber (CLT) and glue laminated timber (GLT) manufacturing plant, which will be co-located on the sawmill’s site.

Australia’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation Promotes Use of Timber in Large-Scale Construction with Debt Financing

Wanting to promote a mass transformation in timber construction across the property sector in Australia, the Australian government’s Clean Energy Finance Corporation (CEFC) is providing $300 million (AUD) in debt finance for eligible projects nationwide. The new CEFC program seeks to transform large-scale building construction in Australia, with the potential to cut construction-related emissions.

New White Paper Released on Mass Timber Construction in the UK

The RICAAuthority, an annually funded research scheme supported by 24 major United Kingdom insurers, has just released a new white paper on mass timber construction in the UK. The report, “Insurance Challenges of Massive and Mass Timber Construction,” is recommending that hybrid structures combining traditional and modern method of construction may represent the best route forward to satisfying multiple considerations including insurance risks and carbon reduction.

B.C. Becomes Mass Timber Hub of North America — How it All Began

According to Nate Bergen, project development manager at Kinsol Timber Systems, “British Columbia is currently seen as the hub of North America when it comes to mass timber architecture, engineering, and installation.” Bergen goes onto say in his interview with the Daily Hive, that “Aside from all the performance advantages of mass timber, some of the biggest benefits come from the ability to pre-plan and prefabricate mass timber buildings…”

Segezha Group’s Sokol Plant Earns Conformité Européenne (CE) Certification for CLT Panels

The Segezha is reporting that their Sokol CLT plant has successfully passed its Conformité Européenne (CE) certification for its cross-laminated timber (CLT) panels. The CE certificate was obtained after a field audit performed by employees of HolzForschung Austria, the largest Austrian wood research and testing institute. The certificate confirms that the enterprise has deployed modern practices to verify that the quality of its products meets European requirements.

Colorado Firm Bringing CLT Usage to Smaller, Rural Settings

As the climate in Colorado continues to dry and warm, wildfire mitigation efforts such as forest thinning are becoming ever more important. However, much of the thinned wood often ends up in a landfill or is wasted. Timber Age Systems, Colorado-based company is working to change that. TAS is working with smaller trees, beetle-killed material, and other wood products that don’t always meet commercial needs and turning them into CLT on a smaller size scale.