Canadian Wood Council Expert Says Mass Timber Supply Can Keep Up with Canada’s Growing Demand

Canada’s usage of mass timber in construction is continuing to accelerate. That is leading some Canadians to question whether the supply can keep up with the ever-growing demand. Tim Buhler, technical manager for the Canadian Wood Council, Wood WORKS! Ontario is confident that it can. In a recent webinar called Timber Talk: Community Projects in Timber, Buhler pointed out that that of the 76 million hectares of forests in Ontario, more than 27 million hectares is certified (monitored by a third party) and less than a half percent of those are harvested for construction and product use. Buhler went onto say that, “Sustainable harvesting methods ensure that more trees are planted than harvested. Buhler’s presentation covered a broad array of case studies in Canada built in timber, including recreational centers, libraries and administration facilities. “It’s a really exciting time to be in the wood industry,” he said, noting the field is grabbing attention across Canada and elsewhere. “Every day we see more buildings around the world such as shipping warehouses, skyscrapers and airport terminals being built incorporating larger amounts of timber construction.” In addition, Buhler told webinar listeners that Mass timber’s eco-friendly benefits are another reason these products can be expected to grow quickly in the green economy. Timber requires five times less energy to produce than concrete and about 24 times less than steel. Replacing a cubic meter of concrete with one cubic meter of timber prevents the release of one ton of carbon dioxide from releasing into the atmosphere.