SLB Q3 2024 - 2024 Q3 Softwood Lumber Board Newsletter

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THINK WOOD
HIGHLIGHTS

AWC
HIGHLIGHTS

EDUCATION
HIGHLIGHTS

WOODWORKS
HIGHLIGHTS

Q3 HIGHLIGHTS

SLB
Feature Story

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By expanding and diversifying demand for softwood lumber, the SLB and its funded programs create steady industry growth through a variety of economic cycles. The SLB’s results in Q3 demonstrate the impact of that approach with significant gains in lumber demand and continuing momentum for future growth.

2024

REPORT

2020

Q4 1.0 MM

Q3 1.1 MM

Q2 1.1 MM

Q1 1.2 MM

4.5 MM

2021

Q4 1.2 MM

Q3 1.2 MM

Q2 1.4 MM

Q1 1.1 MM

4.9 MM

2022

Q4 1.4 MM

Q3 1.2 MM

Q2 1.4 MM

Q1 1.3 MM

5.3 MM

2023

Q4 1.5 MM

Q3 1.2 MM

Q2 1.3 MM

Q1 1.1 MM

5.1 MM

Total Carbon Benefit of Previous Years

(Metric Tons of CO2)

Total Carbon Benefit of Previous Years

See previous years

68%
Light-Frame

7%
Hybrid Light-Frame & Mass Timber

25%
Mass Timber

Q3 HIGHLIGHTS

Q3 INCREMENTAL DEMAND GENERATED

360 MM BF

1,254 MM BF YTD Toward the 1,629 MM bf 2024 goal

2023

1,895

2022

1,998

2021

1,848

2020

1,624

2019

1,449

2018

1,245

2024

YE GOAL
1,629

Q3 360

Q2 463

Q1 431

0.5 MM

METRIC TONS OF CO2 AVOIDED

0.33 MM

METRIC TONS OF CO2 STORED

Carbon impact from facilitating wood use

Which Equals a Total Carbon Benefit of

0.8MILLION

METRIC TONS
OF CO2

Jump to these stories.

Want to read more SLB stories?

SLB Story 3:
K-12 Education Opportunity

SLB Story 2:
2025 Mass Timber Competition

SLB Story 1:
The SLB's Impact

This year, architecture schools from across the country submitted 17 proposals for interactive outdoor art installations. A jury of industry professionals selected seven based on criteria such as artistic merit, cost-effectiveness, constructability, and site appropriateness. A total of 150 architecture students and 10 faculty members from these universities gathered on-site to assemble the installations, all made primarily from softwood lumber products. For some students, it was their first time using power tools, and for all, it was a unique opportunity to collaborate, share in the learning process, and see projects through from design to completion.

By offering students hands-on experience with wood, Build Fest fosters a deeper appreciation for its unique properties and benefits.
This experience not only inspires students but also advances
wood as a key material in sustainable architecture. The completed installations will remain at Bethel Woods for the public to enjoy over the coming years.

Although architecture programs emphasize design and materiality, many students graduate with minimal experience in using wood as a structural solution. Most programs tend to focus on alternative materials, leading to a lack of familiarity with wood. As a result, when these students enter the workforce, they may hesitate to specify wood in their designs, or worse, apply it ineffectively due to limited foundational knowledge.

To address this gap and foster a deeper connection with wood-based solutions, the SLB sponsored Build Fest at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. This unique initiative allows postsecondary students to not only conceptualize but also physically construct designs using wood, giving them hands-on experience. By participating, future architects gain valuable skills and knowledge about wood’s versatility, sustainability, and aesthetic potential in real-world applications.

SLB Feature Story

Building the Future: Architecture Students
Embrace Wood at SLB-Sponsored Festival

AWC staff drafted sections of the new California Wildland Urban Interface Code (CA WUIC), which was recently approved by the California Building Standards Commission, Building, Fire and Other Code Advisory Committee. With staff serving as committee chairs and members, the CA WUIC retained favorable technical requirements for use of wood in exterior applications such as siding and decking. The draft code will now be forwarded to the California Building Standards Commission for final consideration.

Recent wildfire events have prompted several jurisdictions to pursue increasingly restrictive WUI requirements for building construction. The AWC’s work in the CA WUIC development process prevented more restrictive use of ignition-resistant or noncombustible exterior wall covering materials in WUI areas, protecting 20 MM BF of the wood siding market, according to FEA estimates.

The AWC has also been actively engaged in development of ICC-605, a new ICC standard for residential construction in the WUI, pointing to the results of AWC’s WUI fire tests in support of use of fire-resistive techniques for building construction in the WUI.

STORY 3 of 3

AWC FEATURE

New California WUI Code Retains Favorable Wood Requirements

The AWC has released three of four regional Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for U.S. softwood lumber. This marks the first time the U.S. lumber industry has developed and published regional EPDs; previous industry EPDs have been North American in scope. The newly released EPDs cover the Pacific Coast, the Inland Northwest, and the U.S. South regions. More mill data is needed to complete a fourth EPD for the North/Northeast region, and it is expected to be completed early next year.

The updated EPDs represent the AWC and the wood products industry’s response to continued requests for more granular data. The design industry uses EPDs to support carbon emission reduction by comparing the impacts of different materials and products in order to select the most sustainable option. As consumers, regulators, and the AEC community voiced their desire for specific, localized EPDs, the AWC expanded its mill data collection platform to include more mills to ensure the industry was meeting market demands and continuing its commitment to radical transparency.

“These regional EPDs are a game-changer for our industry and demonstrate the sector’s responsiveness to market demands,” says Rachael Jamison, Vice President of Sustainability and Markets at the AWC. “They directly address the growing consumer and regulatory interest in data surrounding the environmental impacts of U.S. wood products and demonstrate the U.S. industry’s commitment to radical transparency. The new EPDs are something the entire U.S. wood products industry should be proud of.”

The new EPDs are available on the AWC’s website. The Life Cycle Survey is open to all SLB investors for FY2023 data collection. Contact Anna Ostrander at aostrander@awc.org for help getting started.

STORY 2 of 3

AWC FEATURE

The AWC Releases New Regional
EPDs to Meet Market Demand for Sustainability Data

Each year, as the United Nations General Assembly comes to an end, New York City kicks off Climate Week, a week of hundreds of climate- and sustainability-focused events across the city. This year’s theme, It’s Time, highlighted the urgent need for climate action, specifically in the areas of energy, the built environment, and finance.

This year, the American Wood Council (AWC) and WoodWorks co-hosted their first-ever Climate Week event, Building with Wood: Nature’s Climate Solution. The event featured an introduction to mass timber, a panel discussion on the entirety of mass timber’s lifecycle, and concluded with a networking reception. The panel discussion was led by Katie Fernholz, President of Dovetail Partners; Alexis Feitel, Team Carbon Unit Director at KL&A Engineers and Builders; and Sandra Lupien, Director of MassTimber@MSU.

The event proved to be a success with over 80 in-person attendees as well as additional online attendees. This event is an example of the AWC’s lead role in ensuring that wood products are properly recognized for their low embodied carbon and significant stored biogenic carbon benefits.

Building with Wood was one of many Climate Week events focused on the climate benefits of wood products. Earlier that day at the same venue, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) hosted the final presentations from the seven teams of the inaugural Mass Timber Studio funded by the SLB and USDA Forest Service. The NYCEDC also announced plans to field a second cohort of teams who will receive another $29,000 grant each in 2025, also funded by the SLB and USDA Forest Service.

STORY 1 of 3

AWC FEATURE

Wood Products Top Subject
at NYC Climate Week

New California WUI Code Retains Favorable Wood Requirements

The AWC Releases New Regional EPDs to Meet Market Demand for Sustainability Data

Wood Products Top Subject at NYC Climate Week

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL Q3 STATS

12 YTD Versus 30 YE Goal

Fire Service Trainings Held

81 YTD Versus 100 YE Goal

Events Held

49,646 YTD Versus
50,000 YE Goal

Total Contact
Hours Logged

9,204

24,737 YTD Versus 40,000 YE Goal

4,291

Total Attendees
Across All Events

AWC HIGHLIGHTS

As the frequency and severity of wildfires grow, policymakers and code officials are scrutinizing buildings in the wildland-urban interface (WUI), the areas between wilderness and developed land that are at greatest risk for wildfires. With some advocates calling to prohibit wood decks and fences or, more drastically, wood-framed houses in WUI areas, the AWC is engaging in WUI-related code development and adapting its approach with new research showing how wood-framed homes can be protected from wildfires.
Those efforts include:

Fire testing a WUI-hardened wood-frame assembly, demonstrating successful performance and generating data to support AWC’s strategy for showing that wood framing can be used in WUI areas with proper protection.
Engagement in development of ICC-605, a new ICC standard on residential construction in regions with wildfire hazard that will provide a more complete set of requirements than those that exist in the International Wildland Urban Interface Code (IWUIC).
Participation in code development in California, a state that has seen some of the most severe
and damaging wildfires in the United States, and where the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) recently held hearings to help decide on California Code amendments, including WUI changes.

The AWC is also gearing up for the 2027 I-Code development cycle, which is expected to be more time-intensive, with activities taking place in all three years of the cycle rather than in two out of three years as in the past. The AWC’s staff is already preparing code change proposals due in January and participating in committee meetings.

To ensure the AWC is fully staffed for these priorities, the AWC recently filled two important positions. Cade Booth joins as Regional Manager, Codes & Standards, with responsibility for southern states in ICC Regions VIII and IX, bringing experience as a Certified Building Official for the city of Savannah, Georgia. Greg Womack will serve as Manager, Fire Service Relations for the Western region, where he will be increasing the reach of the AWC fire-service engagement program on issues related to WUI and construction fire safety.

STORY 1 of 3

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL STORIES

The AWC is better positioning the industry for a defense of wood in wildland-urban interface zones, filling two important staff positions to engage with building codes and build awareness of wood’s fire safety record.

Fire Performance and Building
Codes Emerge as Priority Issues

Progress continues on the AWC’s expanded Lifecycle Assessment Database—which collects EPD and fiber sourcing data—to include non-AWC-member manufacturers without additional costs to these manufacturers. Funded in part by a USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Grant, the LCA database enhancement ensures that the wood industry offers EPDs with robust environmental impact information.
Demand for such data is expected to grow as more and more design teams
seek to measure the climate impacts of their buildings.

The second round of data collection closed December 21, amassing calendar year 2022 data. Moving forward, surveys will go to mills every August and close every December. Work has begun on updating the softwood lumber LCAs, which are expected to be completed by the end of Q1 2024. The updated Softwood Lumber EPD, which will represent U.S. West, Northeast, Southeast, and Central regions, will be completed by Q3 2024, helping to meet the growing market demand for more specific regional and mill-level EPDs.

The AWC is also close to finding a way to provide industrywide data for the “transport to site” phase of life cycle assessments known as A4. This data is currently not harmonized within environmental decision-making tools and often does not reflect actual shipping trends. The AWC is also seeking a multipart grant to improve EPD data and automate EPD generation after the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced $100 million available in funding for improving transparency and disclosure of construction materials’ embodied carbon emissions.

STORY 2 of 3

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL STORIES

The AWC is gearing up to produce updated environmental product declarations for our industry’s primary products.

Robust EPD to Secure Competitive Advantage and Protect Market Share

Mass timber construction continues to gain traction in the United States, with more states adopting the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) provisions for tall mass timber as the AWC engages in education and outreach efforts across the country.

The latest states to join the movement are Ohio and Tennessee. The Ohio Board of Building Standards recently approved the code package to adopt the 2021 IBC, set to take effect next March. The AWC was a regular participant in the Ohio Building Codes Committee meetings supporting the development of the approved code package.

Nashville, Tennessee, went a step further and approved a new ordinance to adopt the 2021 IBC provisions for mass timber ahead of statewide adoption next year. Washington, D.C., is also making progress in adopting mass timber code provisions.

Continuing outreach to encourage more states and localities to adopt the tall mass timber provisions is vital to increasing the market opportunity for softwood lumber. Notably, states that have not yet adopted the code provisions represent an incremental opportunity of nearly 2 BBF annually.

In the meantime, the AWC’s staff is getting creative to make mass timber buildings easier to construct in areas that haven’t yet adopted the mass timber provisions. The Florida Mass Timber Alternative Materials and Methods (AMM) Guide is a resource to help code officials establish requirements for approval of mass timber buildings as AMM projects in Florida, which narrowly voted against approving mass timber provisions in its code. The AWC will develop additional versions of this resource for other states without mass timber provisions.

STORY 3 of 3

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL STORIES

28 states/jurisdictions have adopted the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) mass timber provisions.

Mass Timber Code Adoption Grows
Through Outreach and Education

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL Q3 2023 STATS

25 YTD Toward the 25 YE Goal

Fire Service Trainings Held

103 YTD Toward the 75 YE Goal

Events Held

Total Contact
Hours Logged

38,597 YTD Toward the 26,000 YE Goal

12,111

22,955 YTD Toward the 26,000 YE Goal

7,107

Total Attendees
Across All Events

Mass Timber Code Adoption Grows Through Outreach and Education

Robust EPD to Secure Competitive Advantage and Protect Market Share

Fire Performance and Building Codes Emerge as Priority Issues

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL STORIES

SLB Story 1:
The SLB’s Impact

SLB Story 2:
2025 Mass Timber Competition

SLB Story 3:
K-12 Education Opportunity

SLB STORY 1

- Fritz Mason, President of Lumber, Georgia-Pacific

“We see the SLB as a very efficient way to fund critical investments in growing new markets for softwood lumber and defending existing markets. The SLB’s programs are strategically aligned, working together to promote growth. WoodWorks’ role of converting projects to wood is supported by Think Wood’s marketing efforts and the AWC’s work in codes and standards. It’s critical that we continue to have a sustainable funding stream for these programs.”

What makes the SLB so effective? Because the SLB only invests the industry’s funds into activities that expand the use of lumber now and in the future. And we continuously measure our impact: The SLB’s investments have generated more than 14.9 BBF of incremental demand since our founding in 2012.

The coming years are critical to the lumber industry’s efforts to increase market share and grow demand. Competitive material industries are waging increasingly aggressive campaigns attacking wood’s environmental and performance credentials. The lumber industry has made incredible progress on codes and standards and in the market share for wood construction—but without continuing our investment, we’ll lose the gains we’ve made.

If your industry colleagues have questions about how the SLB is set up for success, how it generates value for investors, or how it’s adapting to current market conditions, the new Why It Works page is a great resource to share. The interactive page features details about the SLB and the programs it funds, alongside key accomplishments and testimonials from investors about why the SLB is meaningful for their business and the future of our industry. Check out the Why It Works page here.

How the Softwood Lumber Board Makes the Most of Your Investment

A recent Think Wood webinar, Mass Timber 2030: Preparing Your Practice, brought a unique perspective to the topic of mass timber design by uniting three different stages of the project pipeline in a discussion group moderated by Think Wood’s Director Katie Gerfen.

The webinar, which targeted architects interested in specifying mass timber, prepared the audience for how to deal with questions from other AEC professionals that might derail that specification.

After hosting the webinar for a live audience of architects from the 26 largest AEC firms in the U.S., Think Wood will use an on-demand version of the webinar for future lead nurture and continuing education both on the Wood Institute and with media partners, where it will help push existing leads further toward specification and generate new contacts for the Think Wood campaign.

STORY 3 of 3

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Webinar Explores Mass Timber from Developer, Architect, and Engineer Perspectives

The education sector represents a significant opportunity for the lumber industry, with a potential market opportunity of 1.7 BBF, according to an outlook prepared for the SLB by Forest Economic Advisors. Architects, engineers, and general contractors are paying attention to this opportunity as well, with the American Institute of Architects’ mid-year construction forecast finding that the institutional market—and education, in particular—will help to offset the overall weak commercial market, with projected growth of 11% this year and 4% next year.

Think Wood has been highlighting innovative education facilities built with light-frame and mass timber systems throughout the year, and a recent article collects several notable projects and resources focusing on the K-12 segment.

“Creating healthy, sustainable, 21st century schools starts with using the right materials, and as school districts set ambitious sustainability goals, building with wood presents new opportunities,” the article says. “In addition to carbon reductions, designing and building modern schools with wood prioritizes occupant well-being and streamlines costs to create warm, welcoming spaces centered on learning.”

STORY 2 of 3

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Think Wood Showcases Wood’s Benefits in High-Growth K-12 Education Sector

A recent Think Wood project profile put the spotlight on an often unsung construction type: mid-rise light-frame construction. Lifestyle Communities’ LC Germantown in Nashville, Tennessee, is a 4.5-acre, 450,000-square-foot mixed-use development with a mix of four- to six-story buildings. The developer hoped to create an environment that would attract renters with a walkable streetscape that nods to historic neighborhoods and creates an unmistakably urban feel. The community’s achievement of that goal earned it recognition as the National Association of Home Builders “Community of the Year” in its 2024 Best in American Living Awards.

Think Wood’s unique angle on this story showed how offsite prefabrication and light-frame construction were critical to a speedy and affordable construction process—and didn’t require the developer to sacrifice the unique character it hoped to achieve.

“With LC Germantown, we wanted to take a more novel approach, dividing the development into different buildings, scales, and configurations, giving it an animated, civic and heritage-like presence,” says Mike Sullivan, principal designer at Memphis-based LRK, which designed the community. “We likely saved months with this simplified, prefab light-frame method. Everything happens quickly when all the materials are right there, ready to go.”

STORY 1 of 3

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Campaign Showcases Prefab Light-Frame Construction for Multifamily Developers

Webinar Explores Mass Timber from Developer, Architect, and Engineer Perspectives

Think Wood Showcases Wood’s Benefits in High-Growth K-12 Education Sector

Campaign Showcases Prefab Light-Frame Construction for Multifamily Developers

THINK WOOD Q3 STATS

1,848 Cumulative SQLs
Versus 2,000 YE Goal

Qualified
Leads (SQLs)

19 YTD Touchpoint Projects Representing 19 MM BF

REPRESENTING 7.4
MM BF OF LUMBER

Touchpoint
Projects

CEUs Taken

15,571 YTD Verus
22,000 YE Goal

5,255

17,105 YTD Versus 27,500 YE Goal

5,292

New Contacts Generated

THINK WOOD HIGHLIGHTS

SLB Story 1:
The SLB’s Impact

SLB Story 2:
2025 Mass Timber Competition

SLB Story 3:
K-12 Education Opportunity

SLB STORY 2

The SLB and USDA Forest Service have launched a new Mass Timber Competition to support projects that accelerate the pace of mass timber adoption in the United States, with a specific focus: K-12 education. The $1.8 million competition is designed to increase the use of mass timber, deepen industry experience with wood construction, strengthen the supply chain, and showcase the benefits of biophilic design.

Funds awarded in the competition support costs associated with the use of mass timber or mass timber hybrid building systems and construction. Funding also helps project teams overcome barriers to the use of a new building material and system, most notably the costs of analyzing design and engineering alternatives and verifying that these solutions comply with applicable codes.

The Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools is now open for entries, and applicant teams can apply for funding up to $500,000. Lessons from these projects will be shared with the broader design and construction communities to support project development and replication, including research about cost analyses and life cycle assessments. Education was chosen as a focus area for this year’s competition because of the large opportunity for lumber demand growth in this subsector. According to an FEA outlook for the SLB, education has had an annual average of 135 MM SF of construction activity since 2021, with only 5 million SF built with wood.

Previous Mass Timber Competitions have not focused on a sector or typology. Past winners include Evergreen Charter School in Hempstead, New York, which was featured in a WoodWorks case study and site tour, and Return to Form, an 84-unit multifamily project for which the design team completed a Comparative Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study examining the embodied carbon, speed, and cost of mass timber versus other building systems.

The SLB Announces $1.8M Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools

Warehouse/manufacturing projects experienced a surge in 2021-2022 thanks to e-commerce and infrastructure legislation. In 2023, several online retailers reduced their volume of new construction—but with 4,159 projects, this category was the second largest (behind multifamily) in the United States. While not all of these facilities can be built in wood by code, the number that can be is significant. The challenge is cost. Due to their maturity in the space, concrete and steel systems have been highly optimized, resulting in inexpensive structures. The growing focus on net-zero carbon is opening the door to introduce wood systems and hybrid structures, but recent projects indicate that a stronger understanding of wood’s environmental and economic benefits is needed for owners to consider paying a premium. The WoodWorks team continues to identify and assist projects while pursuing research on cost-effective wood options and their carbon impacts.

Leveraging the awareness the program continues to build through the WoodWorks Innovation Network (WIN), case studies, and other forms of education, WoodWorks’ strategy is to engage companies with environmental and net-zero carbon goals and provide support that allows them both to achieve cost-effective wood solutions and share wood’s benefits with others. WoodWorks has published case studies on aerospace manufacturer Janicki Industries’ Building 10 and EGGER Wood Products Production Facility, and WIN includes more than 20 projects in the factory/industrial category.

STORY 3 of 3

WOODWORKS FEATURE

Market Trend Analysis Shows Reason to Support Warehouse and Manufacturing Projects

WoodWorks recently hosted a tour of a factory using 3D computer modeling to manufacture light-frame wood wall panels and trusses, followed by a visit to a large affordable housing project where the panels are being used. The tour sold out within days of the invitation, signaling that the design community is not just interested in touring mass timber projects, but light-frame manufacturing and sites too.

The manufacturer is Huron Components, a Littleton, Colorado-based subsidiary of DL Cohen Construction Company, which is framing the Green Valley Ranch development in Denver. The development consists of nine buildings of 3-story garden apartments. The speakers — including WoodWorks, DL Cohen, Huron, and APA – The Engineered Wood Association — gave their perspectives on the advantages of light-frame panelization, including cost and schedule savings, worker safety, and quality control.

Light-frame construction is also a popular topic for in-office Lunch & Learn presentations for clients interested in going taller and larger with light-frame wood. WoodWorks has found success with a three-part series on Type-III exterior walls, Type-III interior walls, and shaft walls. This approach is intended to give design teams the confidence to move more quickly toward taller and larger designs. An architecture firm in Utah that began the series in Q3 emailed afterwards to say it was the “most informative Lunch & Learn we'd ever seen.”

STORY 2 of 3

WOODWORKS FEATURE

WoodWorks Pushes Growing Interest
in Light-Frame Construction

WoodWorks continues to position itself as a knowledgeable educator, not only on how to achieve lower embodied carbon buildings, but also on carbon policies that impact AEC professionals and could drive wood use.

In July, WoodWorks hosted a workshop to help the design community better understand the new embodied carbon provisions in the California Green Building Standards Code (CALGreen). While CALGreen has been in effect since 2007, it has primarily focused on operational energy efficiency. However, effective July 1, 2024, new embodied carbon requirements are now included for buildings over 100,000 square feet.

One compliance path is a 10% reduction in global warming potential shown through a comparative whole building life cycle assessment (WBLCA). This is an area where wood excels, and WoodWorks’ library of WBLCAs and other carbon-related resources can help AECs meet the new requirement. While the event was marketed primarily in the West, 51% of the 313 registrants were from outside California as people seek to understand changes that could be coming to their regions.

STORY 1 of 3

WOODWORKS FEATURE

WoodWorks Education on New Carbon Policies Shows How Wood Excels

Market Trend Analysis Shows Reason to Support Warehouse and Manufacturing Projects

WoodWorks Pushes
Growing Interest in Light-Frame Construction

WoodWorks Education on New Carbon Policies Shows How Wood Excels

WOODWORKS HIGHLIGHTS

Resulting in

of Incremental Wood
Structural Panels

84 MM SF

of Incremental EWP

28 MM BF

476 MM BF YTD Versus
725 MM BF YE Goal

of Incremental Lumber

132 MM BF

49 MM SF YTD Versus
71 MM SF YE Goal

of Wood Project
ConstructioN

14 MM SF

delivered

12,197

55,905 YTD Versus 42,375 YE Goal

Education Hours

hosted

150

32,792 Attendees YTD
Versus 29,130 YE Goal

Events For 7,714 Attendees

WOODWORKS Q3 STATS

290 YTD Versus 405 YE Goal

106

Projects Were Directly Influenced

408

Projects Were Directly + Indirectly Influenced

SLB Story 1:
The SLB’s Impact

SLB Story 2:
2025 Mass Timber Competition

SLB Story 3:
K-12 Education Opportunity

SLB STORY 3

VMDO Architects is an award-winning design firm with a specialty in K-12 and higher education buildings. The firm contacted WoodWorks because they were interested in mass timber for its sustainability and biophilic qualities, but concerned about issues such as durability and maintenance.

WoodWorks responded with a variety of resources to address their concerns, and set up a meeting with the VMDO team to discuss the Truesdell Elementary School project, which involves the renovation of an existing 1920s-era building and two new additions. Neither VMDO nor the engineer had worked with mass timber panels, and they showed some preliminary design options, all Type III-B, with CLT roof panels supported by glulam beams and steel columns.

As with many K-12 projects, cost was a key consideration. WoodWorks suggested that it would be more economical to use Type V-B construction and proposed cost-saving measures such as 3-ply roof panels that can also support a solar panel array. The 17,000-square-foot Truesdell Elementary School project is now under construction and projected to use 11.4 bf/sq. ft.

VMDO is also designing two other K-12 projects, both with timber post-and-beam framing and CLT roofs. The firm’s steady work in K-12 education is an example of the opportunity in the segment. Of the education market’s 1.7 BBF opportunity, according to an FEA outlook, K-12 projects are the largest sub-category by area and also the category with the most projected growth. WoodWorks has seen a strong start for education projects in 2024, with 14 schools reported in the first half of the year.

Elementary School Renovation Highlights Opportunity in the K-12 Sector

EDUCATION HIGHLIGHTS

The SLB sponsored Hack-A-House to provide students a novel, fast-paced initiative to explore wood solutions for housing affordability. In teams, 381 students from 67 schools collaborated with peers and industry experts to tackle housing challenges in a 24-hour “hackathon,” pitching ideas focused on innovative building materials and methods, including mass timber.

In a presentation at the Ivory Prize Housing Innovation Summit hosted by Harvard Graduate School of Design, the Grand Prize–winning team, Ole Seidler, Sepideh Farnia, Otis Klingbeil, and Reily Gibson from the University of California at Berkeley’s Real Estate Development and Design program, proposed a mass timber cooperative model where forest owners, sawmills, and builders invest jointly in a Michigan production facility to diversify capital investment, reduce risk, and increase supply.

Because Hack-A-House was open to a variety of disciplines, including architecture, engineering, construction, business, and public policy, SLB Education was able to engage a diverse audience of students. The sponsorship also helps develop relationships with a larger network of schools, including prestigious programs at Berkeley, Harvard University’s Joint Center for Housing Studies, and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation.

“Over the course of Hack-A-House, we loved learning about the potential to scale up mass timber supply in the U.S. and becoming advocates for its adoption,” the team from Berkeley told the SLB. “It was exciting to dig into the benefits of mass timber construction, imagine innovative ways to improve regional supply, and connect with so many inspiring people and companies who are already working in the space.”

STORY 3 of 3

EDUCATION FEATURE

Future Real Estate Professionals Propose Transformational Ideas for Housing

The SLB-sponsored “TIMBER IN THE CITY 5: Urban Habitats Competition,” hosted by the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA), set a transformative agenda for future urban development. The competition challenged architecture students across the country to think innovatively about the integration of wood in the urban built environment with a theme focused on increasing urban density through innovative wood-based vertical extensions, or overbuilds, assembled on top of existing buildings or infrastructure.

The competition’s focus resonated with the current cohort of students, culminating in 259 students from 46 schools of architecture developing 159 innovative proposals to meet urban housing needs while addressing affordability and sustainability. The five winners and two honorable mentions included MAXX TIMBER: Between Home and Forest (pictured), a submission from Columbia University architecture students that addresses housing affordability and sustainability by adding mass timber vertical extensions to a New York City Housing Authority campus in downtown Brooklyn.

The SLB aims to further promote student innovation by collaborating with key academic organizations and providing a compelling alternative to established programs like the Concrete Masonry and Hardscape Association’s Concrete Masonry Competition and the American Institute of Steel Construction’s Steel Competition. The TIMBER IN THE CITY competition has attracted more than 4,000 student participants over five competitions since 2014.

STORY 2 of 3

EDUCATION FEATURE

SLB’s TIMBER IN THE CITY Competition Inspires Students
to Embrace Wood Design

When it comes to mass timber, seeing truly is believing—its impact is best understood when experienced first-hand. To make that experience possible, the SLB is sponsoring “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future,” a traveling exhibit and lecture series aimed at showcasing the benefits of mass timber directly to students and faculty at leading engineering, architecture, and construction management schools across the Northeast and Great Lakes regions.

The interactive display is designed to efficiently educate postsecondary students and faculty on every aspect of mass timber—from sustainable forest management to how it all comes together on-site as a prefabricated kit of parts—highlighting its advantages over alternative materials. The exhibit kicked off at Kent State University (KSU), and mass timber experts and KSU construction management faculty Anthony Mirando and Lameck Onsarigo guided it to five campuses throughout the Fall 2024 semester.

Many architecture, engineering, and construction management students have never had the chance to experience wood solutions up close. Being able to see, touch, and truly experience the potential of natural materials can reshape their understanding of the future built environment.

STORY 1 of 3

EDUCATION FEATURE

SLB Exhibit and Lecture Brings Hands-On Mass Timber Education to Colleges

Future Real Estate Professionals Propose Transformational Ideas for Housing

SLB’s TIMBER IN THE CITY Competition Inspires Students to Embrace Wood Design

SLB Exhibit and Lecture Brings Hands-On Mass Timber Education to Colleges

Fire testing a WUI-hardened wood-frame assembly, demonstrating successful performance and generating data to support AWC’s strategy for showing that wood framing can be used in WUI areas with proper protection.
Engagement in development of ICC-605, a new ICC standard on residential construction in regions with wildfire hazard that will provide a more complete set of requirements than those that exist in the International Wildland Urban Interface Code (IWUIC).
Participation in code development in California, a state that has seen some of the most severe
and damaging wildfires in the United States, and where the California Building Standards Commission (CBSC) recently held hearings to help decide on California Code amendments, including WUI changes.

STORY 1 of 3

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL STORIES

Fire Performance and Building
Codes Emerge as Priority Issues

STORY 2 of 3

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL STORIES

The AWC is gearing up to produce updated environmental product declarations for our industry’s primary products.

Robust EPD to Secure Competitive Advantage and Protect Market Share

STORY 3 of 3

AMERICAN WOOD COUNCIL STORIES

28 states/jurisdictions have adopted the 2021 International Building Code (IBC) mass timber provisions.

Mass Timber Code Adoption Grows
Through Outreach and Education

SLB EDUCATION Q3 STATS

3,720 YTD Versus 3,600 YE Goal

1,109

Engagements with Students and Emerging Professionals

6,704 YTD
Versus 6,238 YE Goal

ON THE
WOOD INSTITUTE

2,537

Courses
Completed

2,726 YTD
Versus 3,478 YE Goal

CREATED ON THE
WOOD INSTITUTE

1,028

New Accounts

697 YTD Versus 535 YE Goal

Engagements with University Faculty

165

If you'd like a printed version of the Q3 Report mailed to you,
please email info@softwoodlumberboard.org.

Q3 2024 Report

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2023 Independent Evaluation
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Q2 2023 Report

2022 Annual Report

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The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is an industry-funded initiative established to promote the benefits and uses of softwood lumber products in outdoor, residential, and non-residential construction. Programs and initiatives supported by the SLB focus on increasing the demand for appearance and softwood lumber products in the United States.

INFO@SOFTWOODLUMBERBOARD.ORG

SOFTWOODLUMBERBOARD.ORG

2024

REPORT

5.3 MM

2022

Q2 1.4 MM

Q4 1.4 MM

Q3 1.2 MM

Q1 1.3 MM

(Metric Tons of CO2)

5.1 MM

2023

Q2 1.3 MM

Q4 1.5 MM

Q3 1.2 MM

Q1 1.1 MM

4.9 MM

2021

Q2 1.4 MM

Q4 1.2 MM

Q3 1.2 MM

Q1 1.1 MM

Total Carbon Benefit
of Previous Years

4.5 MM

2020

Q2 1.1 MM

Q4 1.0 MM

Q3 1.1 MM

Q1 1.2 MM

68%
Light-Frame

32%
Mass Timber

Q3 HIGHLIGHTS

0.5 MM

METRIC TONS OF CO2 AVOIDED

0.33 MM

METRIC TONS OF CO2 STORED

Carbon impact from
facilitating wood use

0.8MILLION

METRIC TONS OF CO2

Which Equals a Total Carbon Benefit of

Q2
463

Q1
431

YE
GOAL
1,629

2024

2023

1,895

2022

1,998

2021

1,848

2020

1,624

2019

1,449

2018

1,245

Q3 INCREMENTAL DEMAND GENERATED

360 MM BF

894 MM BF YTD Toward the
1,629 MM bf 2024 goal

Tiana Noelani Thorp

Thorp holds an M.S. in civil engineering from Oregon State University focused on structural engineering accompanied by an M.S. in wood science and engineering.

University of Delaware

Ronald Orellana

Orellana plans to work in sustainable structural design.

University of Southern California

Baiyu Chen

Chen focuses on design for deconstruction and mass timber-steel hybrid systems.

Northeastern University

Wood Solutions Scholarship Recipients

Afeez Badmus

Badmus’ research focuses on developing measures to mitigate the effects of tornado winds on residential buildings.

University of Kansas

SLB Story 5:
Student Housing Success

SLB Story 4:
Concrete Masonry Checkoff

SLB Story 3:
WUI Code Work

SLB Story 2:
HUD Showcase and AIA Conference

SLB Story 1:
LumberGPT Pilot Leverages AI

Want to read more SLB stories?

Jump to these stories.

Wood Solutions Scholarship winner Ronald Orellana, pictured at the mass timber Live Oak Bank project, recently completed a mass timber design internship at Timberlab. Photo Credit: Timberlab

The SLB announced the winners of the National Council of Structural Engineers Associations (NCSEA) Wood Solutions Scholarship in June—an initiative set to increase exposure to wood design in structural engineering programs across the country and encourage future professionals to specify wood in their projects.

The program is a strategic response to NCSEA research highlighting a significant deficit in wood design courses within engineering programs. To address this, the SLB partnered with the NCSEA Foundation to establish the Wood Solutions Scholarship, aiming to increase knowledge of wood design in the profession and attract students traditionally underrepresented in structural engineering.

Among 110 applicants, these recipients stood out for their academic excellence, pursuit of graduate degrees in engineering, wood-focused research, and passion for designing wood structures. This scholarship aligns with our goal of familiarizing students with wood’s properties, versatility, aesthetics, economic benefits, and sustainable impacts to ensure they are well prepared to use wood as a key building material.

SLB Feature Story

SLB Scholarship Addresses Gaps in Wood Design Education for Engineers

Building Code Successes Protect and Expand Wood Use in Homes and Buildings

$6 Million EPA Grant to Strengthen Industry’s Environmental Data

Construction Fire Safety Checklist App Protects Wood’s Reputation

Q2 2024 STATS

STORIES

20,446 YTD Versus 40,000 YE Goal

9,360

Total Attendees Across All Events

ABOUT AWC

The AWC is the nation’s leading technical authority and advocate for the sustainable wood building products industry in the codes, standards, and sustainability arenas.

SLB Story 5:
Student Housing Success

SLB Story 4:
Concrete Masonry Checkoff

SLB Story 3:
WUI Code Work

SLB Story 2:
HUD Showcase and AIA Conference

SLB Story 1:
LumberGPT Pilot Leverages AI

AI-Generated Image of a Mixed-Use Development
Rendering Credit: Ankrom Moisan

SLB STORY 1

The SLB is developing LumberGPT, a custom AI tool based on the publicly available commercial tool ChatGPT, to be launched as a pilot for internal use. LumberGPT will prioritize SLB-approved content from Think Wood, SLB Education, and WoodWorks before accessing the broader ChatGPT database. It consolidates years of SLB resources to provide natural language answers to questions. Two versions will be created: one for Think Wood and SLB Education, and another for WoodWorks, each tailored to specific user needs. The internal tool will also serve as a testing ground for a potential public-facing educational tool, with complex inquiries still guided by human experts.

Overall, the SLB and partner programs continue to research the impacts of AI on the sector. For example, a recent article by Think Wood interviews industry and academic experts exploring this trend. The good news is that AI can take on repetitive architecture and engineering tasks and less mentally stimulating work, freeing up design teams to devote more time to higher-level problem solving and design challenges. And while AI boosts productivity, the real opportunity for the AEC sector may be in reframing the value of the human expert and design professional to better tackle major issues including affordable housing, improving the quality of the built environment, and the quest for net-zero carbon emissions.

LumberGPT Pilot
Leverages AI to Boost Program Productivity

Video and Webinar Showcase Wood’s Potential in High-Opportunity Office Market

Impactful Single-Family Resources and Project Profiles Drive Engagement with Residential Audiences

Think Wood Campaign Increases Likelihood of Wood Specification

Q2 2024 STATS

STORIES

1,758 Cumulative SQLs

104

Qualified
Leads (SQLs)

ABOUT THINK WOOD

Advances in wood construction reimagine the future of the built environment, combining strength with sustainability. Think Wood is a communications and education campaign that provides commercial, multifamily, and single-family home design and build resources to architects, developers, and contractors.

SLB Story 5:
Student Housing Success

SLB Story 4:
Concrete Masonry Checkoff

SLB Story 3:
WUI Code Work

SLB Story 2:
HUD Showcase and AIA Conference

SLB Story 1:
LumberGPT Pilot Leverages AI

At the HUD Innovative Housing Showcase, a demonstration structure by Green Canopy Node educated the public about prefabricated mass timber systems.

Industry partners SFPA, NeLMA, WRCLA, and WWPA shared the Think Wood booth at the AIA24 Conference on Architecture.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Innovative Housing Showcase on the National Mall raises awareness of new housing designs and technologies that can improve the affordability, performance, and availability of housing in the U.S.
The SLB and its funded programs played a key role in supporting the lumber industry’s entry, a prefabricated wood structure by Green Canopy Node showcasing prefabricated multifamily construction innovations.
The event offered a public platform to demonstrate the potential of wood construction systems in cost-effective multifamily projects as a kit of parts.

Coinciding with the showcase, SLB partners maximized engagement with architects at the AIA24 Conference on Architecture & Design in Washington, D.C., in early June. The WoodWorks-sponsored learning lounge drew strong crowds, with each session reaching or exceeding capacity, attracting both seasoned attendees and newcomers. The Think Wood booth offered a unified presence for lumber industry allies, enhancing visibility and providing valuable information on regional wood species for the event’s 16,000 architect attendees. It also served as a hub for continued discussions with attendees from the nearby education lounge.

SLB Programs Showcase Wood Construction at
HUD Innovative Housing Showcase, AIA Conference

SLB STORY 2

WoodWorks Pursues Growth Opportunities for Wood in New School Construction

Ironworkers Embrace WoodWorks Mass Timber Construction Training

Life Cycle Data Makes the Sustainability Case for Wood Structural Systems

Q2 2024 STATS

STORIES

184 YTD Versus 405 YE Goal

Were Directly Influenced

Projects

ABOUT WOODWORKS

WoodWorks is the AEC community’s go-to resource for commercial and multifamily wood building design, engineering, and construction. It works to support AEC professionals with free one-on-one project assistance, continuing education, design tools, and on-demand resources, with the goal of converting more projects to wood.

SLB Story 5:
Student Housing Success

SLB Story 4:
Concrete Masonry Checkoff

SLB Story 3:
WUI Code Work

SLB Story 2:
HUD Showcase and AIA Conference

SLB Story 1:
LumberGPT Pilot Leverages AI

A new study for the SLB by Forest Economic Advisors (FEA) underscores the critical importance of the American Wood Council (AWC) and the SLB’s efforts to defend lumber use in wildfire-prone regions. The research reveals that up to 150 MM BF of siding and 770 MM BF of decking from the repair and remodeling market are at risk due to Wildland-Urban Interface (WUI) code changes and adoption.

“With recent wildfire losses and increased WUI code activity, the FEA study is both timely and relevant,” said Phil Line, the AWC’s Vice President of Codes & Regulations. The study highlights the threat to lumber siding and decking, as WUI codes increasingly regulate exterior building materials to curb fire spread.

Between 2005 and 2022, wildfires destroyed over 100,000 structures in areas where development meets wildlands. As more jurisdictions consider wildfire-resistant building codes, lumber volumes in decks and siding, representing up to 17% of total siding and 14% of decking consumption, are at risk. The AWC remains actively involved in WUI code development, including ICC 605, the new standard for residential construction in regions with wildfire hazard, and continues to demonstrate the effectiveness of fire-resistant wood construction.

WUI Code Work Defends Market Share at Risk

SLB STORY 3

Additional Faculty Workshops Drive Wood Education Nationwide

Education Produces Exceptional Growth for the Wood Institute

SLB Sponsorships Bring Wood,
Real and Virtual, Into the Classroom

Q2 2024 STATS

STORIES

532 YTD Versus 535 YE Goal

with university faculty

322

Engagements

ABOUT SLB EDUCATION

SLB Education seeks to change the way we build by instilling practitioners, institutions, educators, and emerging professionals with knowledge of and preference for wood solutions.