Sowing the Seeds for Mass Timber Industry in California

Last week, the Bay Area Council was proud to attend the International Mass Timber Conference in Portland, Oregon, highlighting the benefits of this remarkable product from forest to frame. Mass timber – a category of engineered wood product designed for use in construction as a sustainable alternative to steel and concrete – is known for its strength, durability, and environmental benefits, as it sequesters carbon and reduces reliance on energy-intensive building materials. Behind the leadership oWOW President Andy Ball, who is Chair of the Council Mass Timber Task Force, we are working to advance the use of mass timber. Ball’s oWOW, an Oakland-based residential builder, is currently building the largest mass timber building on the West Coast in Oakland.

Through a $300,000 Wood Innovation Grant from the U.S. Forest Service, the Bay Area Council is working to build new public-private connections in California’s wood products space, creating awareness and incentivizing demand for innovative California materials. Over the past seven decades, California has lost the sawmills and foresters that are the lifeblood of its timber industry, increasing its reliance on imports, allowing fuel loads in its forests to build, and in turn allowing wildfires to grow more intense. Incentivizing the use of California wood products, particularly mass timber, will allow the state to more easily meet its climate goals, build the housing it so desperately needs, and boost rural economies.