University of New Hampshire Project Testing Use of Regional Softwood in Mass Timber Construction

The University of New Hampshire (UNH) Cooperative Extension has begun work on a project that has the potential of both increasing the usage of the region’s timber industry, as well as supporting the ongoing efforts to fight climate change, according to the New Hampshire Business Review (4-5-23).

The project is centered around studying how softwoods that grow in the Northern Forest—an area that includes New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and New York—can be used in the growing trend toward the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT) in mass timber construction.

Andrew Fast, Forest Industry State Specialist for UNH Cooperative Extension, is overseeing the Northern Forest project, which aims to test and certify the region’s softwoods to make CLT panels composed of wood from New Hampshire and surrounding areas available to builders at a cost-effective price.

The New Hampshire Business Review says the pilot project is starting at Milan Lumber in Coos County, which won the contract to mill the local timber that was then dried and sent to Sterling Structural, a CLT mass timber manufacturer in Illinois. Sterling will produce CLT panels and ship them to the University of Maine, where they will be tested to ensure they meet the standards for cross-laminated timber, which are known as PRG-320 requirements for strength, fire resistance, and other qualities.