UC Berkeley Boosts Dowel-Laminated Timber Manufacturing in California

The University of California Berkeley is helping advance dowel-laminated timber (DLT) construction through a collaboration with Humboldt County’s Mad River Mass Timber, the university said.

With guidance from Assistant Professor Paul Mayencourt and the UC Berkeley Wood Lab, Mad River Mass Timber is pioneering the commercial manufacture of DLT in California. The company is the state’s first vertically integrated mass timber producer, converting forest waste into construction-ready building panels.

Unlike traditional construction lumber, DLT panels can be manufactured from a wide range of wood species. Smaller-diameter or lower-strength trees such as red fir, hemlock, and Ponderosa pine can be combined into structural panels, expanding the usable wood supply.

The process can also repurpose fire-damaged timber, which has historically lacked a commercial outlet, providing an additional tool for forest restoration and wildfire mitigation.