AR 2024 - 2024 AR Softwood Lumber Board Newsletter (English-Investor)

BOARD
& TEAM

FINANCIALS

EVENTS

FEATURED
PROJECTS

OPPORTUNITIES

PARTNERSHIPS

HYBRID CONSTRUCTION

PROGRAM
HIGHLIGHTS

SLB
HIGHLIGHTS

LETTERS

Scroll to Read the Report

ANNUAL REPORT

Driving Innovation, Expanding Opportunities

2024 HIGHLIGHTS

Since I first joined the board three years ago, I've been amazed by the industry knowledge and skills that the SLB staff brings to the table. They have a clear understanding of market trends and a strategy on where the industry’s investments can be the most impactful. That expertise stands out by the results.

67%
Light-Frame
402 MM BF

Construction Type

25%
Mass Timber
179 MM BF

8%
Hybrid Light-Frame & Mass Timber
48 MM BF

IN 2024 THE SLB GENERATED

BILLION BOARD FEET OF INCREMENTAL DEMAND.

1.6

BY FACILITATING WOOD USE,
PRODUCED A CARBON BENEFIT OF
3.8 MILLION METRIC TONS OF CO₂.

OF EDUCATION TO ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, DEVELOPERS, CONTRACTORS, AND CODE
OFFICIALS FROM SLB–FUNDED PROGRAMS.

Delivered More Than

163,400 HOURS

OF incremental DEMAND
resulting FROM SLB
INVESTMENTS SINCE 2012.

Reached

15.3 BBF

on average since 2021.

Every $100 the SLB invests
in programs leverages

$96 in additional outside funding

$1 = 82 BF

of incremental demand from SLB investments.

The Average Incremental Demand
is 86 BF/$1 Over the Lifetime of
the SLB from 2012–2024.

adopted mass timber code provisions in 2024 with AWC support bringing the total states having adopted them to 39.

10 new states

in savings
per building

making wood construction more cost-competitive by reducing sealant/adhesive requirements when AWC 2027 IBC change priority is adopted.

$360,000

1,498

INFLUENCED

projects to
build with wood

Resulting in 629 MM BF of
incremental lumber in 2024.

10,647

Highly Engaged
Leads produced
— a record.

they are likely to
specify wood systems
in the next 12 months.

71%

highly engaged
users Say

Jérôme Pelletier, J.D. Irving Ltd., Vice President;
2025 SLB First Vice Chair, SLB Board of Directors

SCHOOLs

263

Influenced postsecondary
students and faculty at

cultivating future design professionals more comfortable specifying wood.

The 450-unit LC Germantown makes heavy use of panelized light-frame construction fabricated off-site. Looney Ricks Kiss (LRK), Photo Credit: Sara Bill

THE SLB's

1.6 BBF

of impact in 2024 represents 82 BF
per $1 of investment.

Dear Fellow Investors and Industry Colleagues,

It is with pride that I share with you the Softwood Lumber Board’s 2024 Annual Report. The SLB and its funded programs and initiatives had
another productive year, delivering measurable impact for the industry by generating incremental softwood lumber demand and diversifying the
market for wood construction.

Collaboration has always been a top priority for me, and this year demonstrated the value of that approach, with our staff, programs, and partners performing at an extraordinarily high level while working together to create steady growth even in tougher market conditions. The SLB’s investments have generated 15.3 billion board feet of incremental lumber demand since 2012. This year, the SLB’s return on investment was $33 for each dollar spent. Since inception, the SLB has generated $44 of revenue for every $1 invested by the lumber industry. Every $100 the SLB invests in programs leverages $96 in additional outside funding on average since 2021.

I’m delighted to see a new generation of Directors joining the Board to bring their perspectives on how the SLB can continue to innovate and broaden the impact of the industry’s investment. I also want to thank George Emmerson of Sierra Pacific Industries; Brad Thorlakson of Tolko Industries; J.D. Hankins of Hankins Inc.; and Keith O’Rear of Weyerhaeuser, who have served with great commitment and professionalism. They’ll continue to be around, and we’ll need a dose of their sage advice and experience.

As I close my tenure as Board Chair, I’m honored to welcome our next Chair, Fritz Mason of Georgia-Pacific. In addition to being my good friend, he's a perfect fit for the role, bringing invaluable experience both with the SLB and the industry, and a high degree of pragmatism that will serve him well as Chair.

In the 13 years since it was established, the SLB has been successful because of its talented staff, its disciplined leadership, the thoughtfulness of the Board’s Directors that have served, and the high level of engagement across our industry. Ours is the gold standard for checkoff programs. But our ongoing support is critical. The industry must sustain this effort to ensure we continue to make progress on codes and standards, education, and converting the market to wood construction, and so that we don’t lose the gains we’ve made.

Thank you for the support you’ve provided to me, to the staff of the SLB’s programs, and to your communities through your investment as we build on our 2024 accomplishments in the years ahead.

Sincerely,

Brian Luoma, Board Chair

Our Industry Is Stronger Together

A letter from Brian Luoma | Board Chair

It is with pride that I share with you the Softwood Lumber Board’s 2024 Annual Report. The SLB and its funded programs and initiatives had another productive year, delivering measurable impact for the industry by generating incremental softwood lumber demand and diversifying the market for wood construction.

Our Industry Is Stronger Together

A letter from Brian Luoma | Board Chair

Thoughtful use of mass timber was key to architecture firm Snow Kreilich’s design for two North Dakota branches of Bremer Bank.
Bremer Bank, Photo Credit: Corey Gaffer

A Clear Vision for Growing Lumber Demand

A letter from Cees de Jager | President & CEO

Dear Investors,

The SLB and its funded programs—the American Wood Council (AWC), Think Wood, WoodWorks, and SLB Education—are putting the lumber industry in a stronger position than ever before. Despite a challenging market for multifamily and nonresidential construction, the SLB delivered strong demand growth for the industry, generating 1.6 billion board feet of incremental demand in 2024. The SLB’s programs influenced 1,498 projects, representing 66 million square feet of construction. Converted projects were 67% light-frame construction, 25% mass timber, and 8% hybrid (mass timber + light-frame) construction. The increase in demand for lumber and reduction in use of other materials have reduced the environmental impact of the construction sector by 3.8 million metric tons of CO₂ in 2024.

The SLB continues to diversify demand for the products the industry makes today by removing barriers for light-frame construction in nonresidential and multifamily projects through codes and standards work, training, and education. At the same time, the SLB is promoting innovative uses of softwood lumber products by pursuing new market opportunities for mass timber and hybrid construction that enable lumber-based systems to gain market share in new construction segments.

The SLB’s four core programs work together to influence key construction and design decision-makers to convert more building projects to softwood lumber-based and wood-steel hybrid building systems. Looking ahead, the SLB will focus on accelerating these efforts by capturing market share in segments that have growth potential and where light-frame and mass timber construction have the most compelling value propositions, including multifamily and affordable housing, education, and offices. As we move into 2025, the SLB and its programs will drive awareness of lumber’s economic and environmental value proposition beyond early adopters to mainstream developers and their clients. The SLB will work with stakeholders, partners, and experts to overcome real and perceived barriers such as insurance, access to financing, lack of knowledge and expertise, and costs.

Partnerships and collaboration with like-minded industries to pursue hybrid construction and stakeholders such as the USDA Forest Service and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities are essential to meeting these goals.

The SLB’s success is thanks to the leadership of the Board, the talents of the dedicated SLB team, insights from industry partners, and collaboration with our funded programs. Working together, we have achieved a vision for a diverse and growing market for the lumber industry’s products. I extend my thanks and appreciation to outgoing Chair Brian Luoma for his thoughtful guidance and support. We are a better organization thanks to his contributions.

The SLB is an industry-led organization that reflects the priorities and ambitions of the producers that fund it. I invite you to help us deliver on our goals by sharing your perspectives, views, and experience with us directly. Send us an email, give us a call, or join one of our meetings—we want to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Cees de Jager, President & CEO

A Clear Vision for Growing Lumber Demand

A letter from Cees de Jager | President & CEO

Builders, developers, and architects are becoming increasingly positive about the environmental and economic benefits of wood construction, and the SLB is building on that momentum by removing obstacles and promoting using more wood in non-traditional applications. I'm proud of what we've achieved, but we need to continue building momentum. I look forward to seeing what the industry can accomplish by continuing to work together in the years ahead.

Brian Luoma, Board Chair

LETTERS FROM THE CHAIRS

The AWC was highly engaged throughout 2024 in research and code development related to wildland-urban interface (WUI) regions.

The AWC’s focus in its WUI work is showing that with proper protection, wood framing can be used in WUI regions. In Q4, the AWC performed a series of fire tests that provided valuable data used to inform WUI codes and standards development and to develop recommended example WUI hardening details. The AWC’s Fire Subcommittee and its WUI Task Group have provided input on the new ICC-605 Standard for Residential Construction in Regions with Wildfire Hazard, a key standard covering a range of materials that will be considered as a reference in the 2027 International Residential Code.

On a regional level, AWC staff drafted sections of the new California Wildland-Urban Interface Code (CA WUIC), work that helped to clarify that use of ignition-resistant or noncombustible exterior wall covering materials is an option, not a requirement, in WUI areas, protecting 20 MM BF of the wood siding market, according to FEA estimates. The tragic wildfires in Los Angeles in January 2025 mean that fire safety will continue to be a topic of conversation for years to come, and the AWC is well positioned to provide resources and education as part of those discussions.

AWC FEATURE

The AWC Defends Wood Use in WUI Regions

STORY 1 of 3

Mass Timber Code Adoption

Adoption of the 2021 International Building Code’s mass timber provisions is critical to growing opportunities for lumber-based mass timber systems in more regions.

This year, with the AWC engaging in education and outreach across the country, 10 more states adopted the provisions statewide or in some jurisdictions, bringing the total to 39 states.

The International Code Council’s I-codes form the basis for building safety codes in all 50 U.S. states, so ensuring the codes remain receptive and favorable to wood is a major priority. Building on successes in the 2021 and 2024 I-code cycles that set the stage for increased use of lumber in the United States, the AWC team is highly involved in the development of the 2027 I-codes, with several priority code change proposals approved in committee hearings.

In 2025, the AWC’s code team will continue its engagement with the
2027 I-Codes through the Group B process, with priority proposals including incorporating the Fire Design Specification (FDS) for Wood Construction for heavy timber requirements and prescriptively allowing concrete or gypsum concrete topping use to meet concealed space requirements, a lower-cost option in Type IV-HT construction.

AWC FEATURE

The AWC Pursues Opportunities for Lumber in 2027 Code Cycle

STORY 2 of 3

The AWC’s lumber environmental product declarations (EPDs) will cover all four major U.S. regions.

This marks the first time the lumber industry has developed and published regional EPDs, as previous industry EPDs have been North American in scope. The approaching release of an EPD for the U.S. Northeast and Great Lakes region will join newly released EPDs for the U.S. Pacific Coast, the Inland Northwest, and the South. The new EPDs are available on the AWC’s website.

The updated EPDs by the AWC represent the wood products industry’s response to continued requests for more transparency and granular data. The design industry uses EPDs to compare the impacts of different materials and products in order to select the lowest carbon-emission option.

As consumers, regulators, and the AEC community voiced their desire for specific, localized EPDs, the AWC expanded its data-collection platform to include more mills. Doing so ensures the industry is meeting market demands and continuing its commitment to radical transparency. A USDA Forest Service Wood Innovations Grant allowed the AWC to expand the Life Cycle Survey to include mills from other U.S. wood products associations. The new EPDs represent 62% of national U.S. softwood lumber production compared with
11% in 2020.

AWC FEATURE

New Regional EPDs Unlock Opportunity by Providing Carbon Data

STORY 3 of 3

Tree House, Faye + Walker Architecture,
Photo Credit: Leonid Furmansky

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.

Fritz Mason, Georgia-Pacific President of Lumber;
2025 Chair, SLB Board of Directors

The AWC’s lumber environmental product declarations (EPDs) will cover all four major U.S. regions.

New Regional EPDs Unlock Opportunity by Providing Carbon Data

Adoption of the 2021 International Building Code’s mass timber provisions is critical to growing opportunities for lumber-based mass timber systems in more regions.

The AWC Pursues Opportunities for Lumber in 2027 Code Cycle

The AWC was highly engaged throughout 2024 in research and code development related to wildland-urban interface (WUI) regions.

The AWC Defends Wood Use in WUI Regions

2024 Metrics

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

Humbird at Schweitzer, Skylab Architecture,
Photo Credit: Jeremy Bittermann

The WoodWorks Wood in Architecture Award–winning Lakeridge Middle School from
Mahlum Architects and KPFF uses exposed wood to connect students with nature.
Photo Credit: Arthur Ross

Education building construction represents a significant opportunity
for the lumber industry, with wood having less than 5% of market share over the past six years.

As pent-up demand from postponed projects boosts activity, education projects represent 1.7 BBF of annual incremental lumber potential by 2035 if all schools are built with wood, according to a Forest Economic Advisors analysis for the SLB. The increased volume would come from a mix of light-frame, mass timber, and steel-timber hybrid construction. Architects, engineers, and general contractors are paying attention to this opportunity as well, with the American Institute of Architects’ 2025 Construction Forecast finding the education market will grow by 4% this year, ahead of the 2% overall nonresidential growth rate.

Think Wood highlighted innovative education facilities built with light-frame and mass timber systems throughout 2024, including a roundup of several notable projects and resources focusing on the K-12 segment. These resources work alongside the SLB’s support for groundbreaking projects such as the Mass Timber Competition–winning Evergreen Charter School, where the firm Martin Hopp Architects will be studying the impact of the mass timber structure on its staff and students.

“When you look at the rendering for our classroom, and you see wood in the space, it’s a completely different environment. It looks so much more positive than a typical classroom,” Hopp says in a WoodWorks case study of Evergreen. “Ultimately, if we can design better-quality environments for the same price, that equals better performance, lower rates of absenteeism, etc. That’s the key metric we’re designing for.”

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Think Wood Touts Material’s
Benefits in High-Growth School Construction Sector

STORY 3 of 3

Think Wood profiles of projects such as House Between Forest and Field demonstrate opportunities to use lumber in applications such as appearance and cladding, as well as framing.
nARCHITECTS, Photo Credit: Frank Oudeman

Resources and profiles featuring single-family light-frame wood homes continue to garner strong engagement across both commercial and residential audiences.

The Single-Family Home LookBook, an 80-page resource featuring seven residential projects showing innovative uses of wood (beyond simple framing), was one of Think Wood’s most popular resources in 2024.
The resource showed that while wood is the dominant material in the residential sector, there is appetite for learning about how to use it in appearance, cladding, and decking applications that increase the visible presence of wood in residential applications.

In Q4, a feature on innovative wood-framed accessory dwelling units (ADUs)—a very in-the-news topic as housing shortages and affordability continue to be issues nationwide—was Think Wood’s most-read article of the quarter, proving once again that single-family content is a huge driver of engagement—even with commercial audiences. A recent study cited in the feature shows that ADUs are growing at 9% annually, adding 100,000 units in the United States each year (an average of between 350 MM BF and 750 MM BF). Think Wood’s coverage shows designers and developers how they can use wood beyond framing to build more such units, driving demand.

THINK WOOD FEATURE

Popular Single-Family Resources Engage All Audiences—Not Just Builders

STORY 2 of 3

The SLB has done a great job growing the market for mass timber and tall wood construction. There’s a lot of lumber used in those technologies, so the push to get architects, engineers, and developers on board has been a top focus. The success has resulted from smart coordination by the AWC, the SLB, and the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities getting mass timber approved in buildings up to 18 stories; WoodWorks working directly with design teams; and Think Wood promoting examples of wood’s performance and warmth in comparison with concrete and steel. I’m sure our company has sold more lumber because of these accomplishments, and the SLB’s work will continue to boost the entire lumber industry.

Tim Biewer, Biewer Lumber, President and CEO;
SLB Board of Directors

Think Wood’s high-value articles and resources drove both new contact acquisition and lead nurturing efforts to grow demand for more wood construction.

High-Value Content Leads to Record-Breaking Engagement

Resources and profiles featuring single-family light-frame wood homes continue to garner strong engagement across both commercial and residential audiences.

Popular Single-Family Resources Engage All Audiences—Not Just Builders

Education building construction represents a significant opportunity for
the lumber industry, with less than 5% of market share over the past six years.

Think Wood Touts Material’s Benefits in High-Growth School Construction Sector

Humbird at Schweitzer, Skylab;
Photo Credit: Jeremy Bittermann

2024 Metrics

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.

Vesterheim Commons, Snøhetta, BNIM (AOR), Fast + Epp,
Photo Credit: Michael Grimm

International Mass Timber Conference, Photo Credit: Marcus Kauffman

WoodWorks’ efforts to train construction professionals help ensure building designs don’t default to concrete or steel because of contractors who haven’t worked with wood.

With educational resources and support for in-person training, WoodWorks is making it easy for general contractors (GCs) to train up on mass timber construction. WoodWorks recently updated its “How to Successfully Cost Manage a Mass Timber Project” resource that provides GCs information on pricing and scheduling that often results in more wood projects moving forward to construction. Projects being changed from wood to steel or concrete because GCs are more comfortable with those materials was a challenge identified several years ago in a WoodWorks’ study, “Obstacles Preventing the Increased Adoption of Mass Timber,” and reinforced when the SLB updated the study in 2023.

WoodWorks’ mass timber installer training program also took another leap forward with the addition of 21 carpenter and ironworker training locations, which are procuring mock-ups from partner mass timber manufacturers using WoodWorks drawings. Those locations are in the process of implementing courses, which will increase the total to 57 active training course facilities across the United States. Through 2024, more than 1,500 students and professionals have completed 28,090 hours of mass timber installation training initiated through WoodWorks’ Construction Management program.

WOODWORKS FEATURE

General Contractor Training Removes Barriers to Wood Construction

STORY 3 of 3

A WoodWorks whole building life cycle assessment compares a mass
timber/light-frame hybrid building—the Nez Perce-Clearwater National
Forests Supervisor’s Office—to an alternate design.
Mosaic Architecture, Morrison-Maierle Photo Credit: Heidi Long, Longview Studios

Four project studies validate project teams’ choice to build with wood.

A new WoodWorks research series is demonstrating that wood construction can achieve significant savings in the embodied carbon of a building, alongside other benefits such as speed of construction, beauty, and biophilic design. The objective of the series is to address the questions of building designers and provide proof points that designing with wood can reduce the carbon impact of their projects, often significantly so.

The studies compare four buildings—the 2022 Mass Timber Competition-winning Return to Form multifamily project in Denver; the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest Supervisors Office in Idaho; Burwell Center for Career Achievement at the University of Denver, Colorado; and the four-story Auraria Ballfield Office building, also in Denver—with functionally equivalent alternatives. These resources can help practitioners choose the best material or material combinations for structural systems. Converting more of these large multifamily and nonresidential projects to mass timber or hybrid construction is an important priority for the industry, as lumber-based mass timber uses more lumber per square foot than light-frame construction. Using mass timber floor plates in light-frame buildings, for example, can move a project from 8 bf/sq. ft. to 20 bf/sq. ft. Mass timber-steel hybrid buildings make the most of each material’s strength and also create significant demand for lumber, up to 12.5 bf/ sq. ft., in projects that may not have considered lumber in the past.

WOODWORKS FEATURE

Studies Prove Wood’s Benefits

STORY 2 of 3

WoodWorks’ light-frame education gives design teams the confidence to move more quickly toward larger designs that use more board feet of lumber.
BB+M Architecture, Photo Credit: WoodWorks

WoodWorks is using a combination of strategies to expand the
market for lumber by converting more mid-rise projects to light-frame construction.

WoodWorks’ efforts in the light-frame sector focus on encouraging architects and engineers either new to wood or with experience on smaller projects to design five-story or taller light-frame buildings—and helping them do so successfully. In 2024, WoodWorks held 114 light-frame-related education sessions for 9,845 participants and converted 81 projects to wood, generating 17.7 million square feet of wood project construction.

Light-frame construction is a popular topic for in-office lunch-and-learn presentations for clients interested in going taller and larger with light-frame wood. For example, 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 larger designs that use more board feet of lumber.

WoodWorks webinars, presentations, and education sessions increase understanding of advanced light-frame construction and work in tandem with one-on-one project support by the field team and WoodWorks’ help desk, both of which provide more detailed assistance and problem solving. Together, these strategies enable WoodWorks to directly influence a greater use of lumber across project types such as multifamily, assembly/cultural, and education.

WOODWORKS FEATURE

Light-Frame Education and Support Grow Key Market

STORY 1 of 3

Think Wood and WoodWorks are finding architects and structural engineers where they are and either adapting existing projects to use innovative wood technologies or from the very beginning using wood as the construction material. And that's very crucial to find folks where they are so that we can make it easy for them to use wood in the projects that they are going to be producing.

Trey Hankins, Hankins, Inc., CFO;
SLB Board of Directors

WoodWorks is using a combination of strategies to expand the market for lumber by converting more mid-rise projects to light-frame construction.

Light-Frame Education and Support Grow Key Market

Four project studies validate project teams’ choice to build with wood.

Studies Prove
Wood’s Benefits

WoodWorks’ efforts to train construction professionals help ensure building designs
don’t default to concrete or steel because of contractors who haven’t worked with wood.

General Contractor Training Removes Barriers to Wood Construction

International Mass Timber Conference,
Photo Credit: Marcus Kauffman

11 E Lenox, Monte French Design Studio,
Photo Credit: Jane Messinger

2024 Metrics

WoodWorks is the AEC community’s go-to resource for commercial and multifamily woodbuilding 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.

The Wood Institute's most popular 2024 course featured the all-wood Mississippi Workshop.
Waechter Architecture, Photo Credit: Laura Swimmer

Sharp gains in key metrics marked a year of exceptional growth for
the Wood Institute.

SLB Education’s strategic investments throughout the year in the Wood Institute, the SLB’s online learning portal for professional wood education, produced record new account registrations, all-time-high course completions, and enhanced user experience. New accounts grew 36%
year-over-year, driven by a more efficient advertising strategy, while course completions rose 84%, fueled by effective search engine targeting and branded sponsorships at in-person events that expanded reach to thousands of AEC professionals and code officials. Overall, users completed 17,646 hours of online education on the Wood Institute in 2024.

A site upgrade introduced a more streamlined interface and improved navigation, contributing to higher engagement rates, hours on-site,
and courses completed. Technical and competitive audits of the Wood Institute website will be conducted in early 2025 to identify optimization opportunities for improved search engine visibility and growth. The Wood Institute will also release a new accredited CEU created in partnership with the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (Real Cedar) featuring a panel discussion with prominent architects moderated by Think Wood Director Katie Gerfen on the beauty and benefits of Western red cedar.

EDUCATION FEATURE

Wood Institute Achieves
Stunning Growth

STORY 3 of 3

Teams of architecture students designed and installed lumber-based art installations at the SLB-sponsored Build Fest.

SLB Education is focusing on hands-on, experiential engagements with students to foster a deeper appreciation for wood’s unique properties
and benefits.

Although architecture programs emphasize design and materiality, many students graduate with minimal experience in using wood as a structural solution. As a result, when these students enter the workforce, they may hesitate to specify wood in their designs or, worse, apply it ineffectively because of limited foundational knowledge. SLB Education sponsored several programs in 2024 to offer students hands-on experiences with wood, fostering a deeper appreciation for its unique properties and benefits.

The SLB-sponsored Build Fest at Bethel Woods Center for the Arts in New York enabled postsecondary students to design and physically construct art installations made from softwood lumber. 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. Another SLB-sponsored traveling exhibit and lecture series, “Managing Mass Timber: From Forest to Future,” featured an interactive display for postsecondary students and faculty to see, touch, and experience the potential of natural wood materials.

SLB Education also continued to sponsor wood-focused architecture school design studios, enabling faculty to offer deeper education on the timber industry, forest ecologies, and cutting-edge wood design technologies.

EDUCATION FEATURE

Student Events Promote Deeper Connections With Wood Design

STORY 2 of 3

An SLB-sponsored engineering faculty development workshop hosted by Cal Poly Pomona brought together 20 faculty members from 18 universities across the country for a comprehensive introduction to wood products, systems, and building types.

Five faculty development workshops in 2024 trained 101 faculty members in wood design; a 94% increase compared with 2023.

Wood education is underrepresented in many postsecondary architecture, engineering, and construction management programs across the nation. SLB Education is working to close the gap with a series of wood-focused faculty development workshops partially funded by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities.

After workshops at Oregon State University, Clemson University, Auburn University, and Michigan State University, the final workshop of 2024, at Cal Poly Pomona, hosted 20 engineering faculty, emphasizing the importance of teaching students light-frame building design as integrated systems. At the current pace of investment, by the end of 2025, SLB Education will have equipped nearly 300 new faculty members with cutting-edge knowledge, up-to-date resources, and practical skills, enabling them to incorporate wood design into their curricula to influence future architects, engineers, and contractors. A post-workshop survey indicated that each faculty member will influence an average of 50 students in just the following academic year, demonstrating the exponential impact of this program.

EDUCATION FEATURE

SLB Faculty Workshops Overcome Wood Education Gap

STORY 1 of 3

Five faculty development workshops in 2024 trained 101 faculty members in wood design; a 94% increase compared with 2023.

SLB Faculty Workshops Overcome Wood Education Gap

SLB Education is focusing on hands-on, experiential engagements with students to foster a deeper appreciation for wood’s unique properties and benefits.

Student Events Promote Deeper Connections With Wood Design

Sharp gains in key metrics marked a year of exceptional growth for the Wood Institute.

Wood Institute Achieves Stunning Growth

2024 Metrics

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

UCSC Kresge College, Studio Gang,
Photo Credit: Jason O'Rear

The results of an SLB audit show that 59% of architecture schools provide little to no exposure to wood design. How can we expect architects and engineers who haven't learned about how to design with wood to complete projects that include and specify wood? The SLB Education program is changing this through faculty workshops where instructors learn how to incorporate wood design education into their academic programs. In 2024, 100 faculty members from 80 schools attended five workshops across the U.S. Just think of how energized and knowledgeable these faculty members will be when they get back to the classrooms.

Ashlee Cribb, PotlatchDeltic, Wood Products Division, Vice President;
2025 SLB Second Vice Chair, SLB Board of Directors

Hybrid Construction

This publication is a key step forward in understanding the full potential of steel‐timber hybrid structures in high‐rise buildings and clarifying the benefits of steel‐timber hybrid construction for the tall building industry.

Terrence Busuttil,
Director of constructsteel

Strategic Relationship Promotes

Steel-Timber Hybrid Construction

(L-R) CTBUH CEO Francisco Javier Quintana de Uña; SLB CMO Ryan Flom; Kimberley Olson, Director of Construction Solutions at Nucor Corporation and Vice-Chair of constructsteel; SLB President & CEO Cees de Jager; and CTBUH Director, Research and Thought Leadership Daniel Safarik.

To advance the partnership and collaboration with the steel industry, SLB President & CEO Cees de Jager spoke in October at the constructsteel conference in Charlotte, North Carolina, about the opportunities for both industries to increase the use of steel-wood hybrid construction in the United States. Attended by top executives from leading steel manufacturers, the event provided an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between the two industries. As markets increasingly demand cost-effective, pragmatic solutions that reduce a building’s impact on the environment, steel and wood offer the best of both worlds: combining the sustainability of wood and the strength of steel.

Hybrid construction meets a market demand for
cost-effective, pragmatic design solutions that reduce
a building’s carbon impact.

Reaching the lumber industry’s vast market share potential will require growth of a variety of lumber-based and hybrid building systems, but steel-timber hybrid construction represents one of the greatest areas of opportunity. According to an analysis for the SLB by Forest Economic Advisors, steel structures with mass timber walls, such as warehouses, represent a potential annual volume of 607 MM BF, while steel post-and-beam projects with mass timber decking, an option for multifamily projects, represent 1.42 MM BF of annual opportunity.

The SLB has been working with the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat and constructsteel to unlock this opportunity, beginning by establishing the Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings Conference in 2022. The partnership continued in 2024 with the launch of “Steel-Timber Hybrid Buildings: Case Studies,” a CTBUH research report funded by the SLB and constructsteel. The organizations celebrated the report’s release in September at the CTBUH2024 International Conference (pictured below).

Hybrid Construction

1 of 4

Mixed-use | Los Angeles, California

843 N. Spring Street

LEVER Architecture’s five-story-tall, 145,000-square-feet mixed-use project, built over an existing parking garage, uses structural steel columns and beams to maintain the original 30-feet-by-30-feet grid. CLT floors are exposed in both interior and exterior locations, revealing the beauty of the wood even from the surrounding streets. The lightweight structure allowed the team to avoid demolishing and completely rebuilding the existing concrete garage—a significant savings in embodied carbon.

843 N Spring St., LEVER Architecture, Photo Credit: Jeremy Bittermann

Growing awareness of the low-carbon benefits of mass timber and the material’s performance in
high-rise construction has inspired a new generation of mass timber-steel hybrid buildings that make
the most of each material’s capabilities. Structural steel’s robust span-to-depth ratio and mass timber’s beauty and biophilic benefits offer an appealing combination, especially for tall urban projects.
Here are a few examples of hybrid success stories.

Steel and Mass Timber

Pair Strength and Sustainability

PARTNERSHIPS

1500 Waters from Algoma in Savannah was one of three projects selected for the Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator. Photo Credit: Algoma

The Walter Gladwin Recreation Center in Tremont, Bronx, was an awardee of the NYC Mass Timber Studio. Rendering Credit: MARVEL.

SLB-Supported Mass Timber Accelerators

Help Drive Market Growth

The Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator Program from the Georgia Forestry Foundation (GFF) has announced three selected projects: a four-story mixed-use expansion using mass timber over an existing steel masonry commercial building in Atlanta, a nature center in Roswell, and a four-story residential building in Savannah. Funds remain for a successive round and a new call for entries was issued in February 2025.

Meanwhile, the Boston Mass Timber Accelerator, launched in 2021, issued a final report finding that mass timber is accelerating in the city and region, with eight active projects totaling over 1.3 million sq. ft. projected to be constructed with mass timber materials. “Notably, two of the active projects with mass timber commitments are the initial buildings of much larger multi-building projects that will be built out over the next ten years,” the report says. “Boston’s future projects with mass timber commitments amount to 22 buildings totaling over 4.3 million sq. ft. of construction.”

With the success of the inaugural programs, the SLB expects to grow the accelerator program in 2025. Cities are invited to join this movement by applying for funding.

Mass timber accelerators in key regions remove market barriers and ensure maximum funding impact.

Working with jurisdictions, industry, and local governments,
SLB-supported mass timber accelerator initiatives are expanding opportunities for mass timber projects, removing barriers,
and streamlining code compliance in Boston, New York,
and Atlanta.

The accelerators use matching funds from the USDA Forest Service’s Wood Innovations Grants and other programs, amplifying the SLB’s $50,000 investment in each program to support a total project budget of $175,000 to $275,000 per market.

In early 2024, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced the winning design teams for
its first-ever Mass Timber Studio, a technical assistance program designed to support active mass timber development projects in the early phases of project planning and design.

“Expanding the use of mass timber is a critical component to achieving New York City’s carbon reduction targets, including reducing embodied carbon emissions for new buildings, infrastructure, and major retrofits by 50 percent,” wrote the American Institute of Architects New York Chapter as part of an event presenting the seven projects receiving awards in the first phase of the program. The winning projects are four multifamily buildings, a mixed-use industrial space, a public library branch, and a recreation center. The Studio launched an entry period for a second cohort of projects in February 2025.

The Forest Service and the Softwood Lumber Board have had a productive partnership for many years, helping American lumber producers succeed by growing markets for wood products. A stronger U.S.-based supply chain for lumber products supports jobs in rural communities and improves the health of our forests, and I am looking forward to rolling up our sleeves and making this partnership stronger than ever.

Chris French
USDA Forest Service Associate Chief

The wood-built solar pergola at Evergreen Charter School, which is nearing completion of construction.

The Mass Timber Competition-winning Via Emma development broke ground in 2024.

Ongoing Cooperation

Public-Private Partnership with USDA Forest Service

Boosts Demand-Driving Programs

Several of these winning projects are making significant progress and generating valuable data and resources. Evergreen Charter School, a 2022 winner that was featured in a WoodWorks case study and site tour, is nearing completion, and the project’s designer, Martin Hopp Architects, will conduct a pre- and postoccupancy evaluation to measure the impact of the new building on the performance of its staff and students.

The 2023 Mass Timber Competition–winning Via Emma development in Springdale, Arkansas, broke ground in 2024.
The workforce housing project was recognized for how it grapples with the affordable housing shortage by using mass timber alongside wood-frame and prefabricated construction. “The Mass Timber Competition award gave us a venue to develop our thinking even more,” says Fouad Khalil, principal of Modly, the industrialized construction consultancy that partnered on the project with real estate developer Blue Crane. “It allowed us to set our horizon further on things we can do next.”

Looking ahead, the SLB and USDA Forest Service are turning their focus to K-12 education because of the large opportunity for lumber demand growth in this subsector. The USDA Forest Service has also supported Wood Innovation Grants that advance the use of lumber in high-rise projects as well as buildings with exposed timber or protective design needs.

The USDA Forest Service has contributed key funding to SLB
core programs Think Wood, WoodWorks, and the AWC. The SLB and USDA Forest Service have jointly funded WoodWorks, and the USDA Forest Service has also provided major grants to the AWC, as well as $775,000 over the last two years for Think Wood. These investments show how the SLB’s work leads to impactful public-private partnerships to
grow demand for lumber.

The agency is a key partner on the Mass Timber
Competition and other SLB-led programs that expand
the market for lumber.

Since forming an alliance through a memorandum of understanding in 2015, then a second MOU that expanded the partnership in 2021, the SLB and the USDA Forest Service have jointly funded a variety of projects to increase the market for lumber by showcasing inspirational projects and innovative wood building designs. Intended to expand the use of mass timber in the United States, the 2022 and 2023 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon programs awarded support to several projects that highlight mass timber’s application, practicality, commercial viability, and ability to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. The Mass Timber Competitions have disbursed a total of $1.78 million to help project teams overcome barriers to using a new building material and system.

Mass Timber Insurance Playbook

Addresses Barrier

OPPORTUNITIES

The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook helps developers, designers, and insurers resolve challenges that impact the insurability of mass timber buildings.
Mississippi Workshop, Waechter Architecture, Photo Credit: Laura Swimmer

“Adapting the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook is part of our commitment to helping address challenges related to innovative wood buildings in the U.S.,” said WoodWorks President and CEO Jennifer Cover. “Dodge data shows that, in 2023, more than 1 billion square feet of new construction could have been built using sustainable wood materials by code—and wasn’t. This represents a significant opportunity to reduce the carbon impact of the built environment.”

While not a guarantee, adhering to the principles in the playbook should help project teams achieve the best pricing, terms, and conditions available in the current insurance market.

“Even an experienced project team will do well to engineer risk out of mass timber structures and be prepared to communicate with insurers on their own terms,” says Mike Hastings of M.D. Hastings Risk Consulting, who adapted the U.S. edition. “Going forward, establishing the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook as an essential text with worldwide variations will accelerate the learning curve among all parties involved in securing insurance for mass timber projects, in all geographies.”

The resource helps developers, design teams, and insurers work together to improve the cost-effective insurability of mass timber buildings.

With November’s release of the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook – U.S. Edition, WoodWorks is addressing a challenge many teams experience on their mass timber projects. While materials such as CLT are becoming more mainstream across the country, they do not yet have a history of loss data that allows insurers to accurately assess risk. They’re also relatively new in the U.S. market, and insurance professionals who have never insured a mass timber project are often reluctant to do so. The playbook is intended to support project teams seeking insurance, as well as the insurance industry as it develops knowledge and data in this space.

The U.S. edition was adapted from the original Mass Timber Insurance Playbook developed by insurance and building resilience specialists in the United Kingdom in partnership with the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products. It gives developers, design/construction professionals, and insurers a framework for working together to resolve challenges that affect the insurability of mass timber buildings, making it easier to bring more of these projects to fruition.

EVENTS

International Builders' Show

SLB Programs Collaborate to Educate

Builders and Designers at Industry Events

Think Wood complemented WoodWorks’ role at the Mass Timber Conference with a booth promoting Think Wood’s educational resources, allowing design professionals to continue their own wood education path. Think Wood also joined forces with several industry association partners at the International Builders’ Show, JLC Live, and the AIA Conference on Architecture with a new trade show experience to highlight the benefits of wood in single-family construction and remodeling. The new flexibility of Think Wood’s booth setup allowed for additional partners to have a presence, including the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA), the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA),
the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NeLMA), the Western Wood Preservers Institute (WWPI), the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA), and new to this year’s show, the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau.

Together, the SLB’s funded programs maximize the productivity and efficiency of live events, extending
reach and complementing expertise.

For the second year, WoodWorks co-hosted the Mass Timber+ conference with Forest Economic Advisors. The event was held in conjunction with Greenbuild, allowing WoodWorks to reach a broad audience of AEC professionals engaged with carbon topics. Mass Timber+ sessions focused on mass timber design, modular construction, mass timber insurance, engineering innovations, and embodied carbon—an important topic to the Greenbuild audience. WoodWorks organized and participated in a panel on biogenic carbon accounting and was also part of an embodied carbon session. Being given the opportunity to speak at Greenbuild demonstrates the design industry’s awareness of WoodWorks’ expertise in this area.

In September, the AWC and WoodWorks co-hosted their first-ever NYC Climate Week event. The event featured an introduction to mass timber, a panel discussion on the entirety of mass timber’s life cycle, and concluded with a networking reception. The event proved to be a success, with more than 80 attendees in person and online. Hosting Climate Week 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.

WoodWorks continues to co-produce the International Mass Timber Conference, leading the education programming for
the country’s largest gathering of mass timber professionals
and presenting several sessions to help close the gap in available information and expand the number of practitioners capable of realizing successful wood buildings. In 2025, WoodWorks will have a more engaged role in programming the conference’s developer track.

featured projects

1 of 4

Elan Crown Point | Ocoee, Florida - Multifamily

13.2 BF/SF

Light-Frame

Structural Engineer Yasir Al-Lebban attended several WoodWorks webinars on engineering topics related to light-frame wood construction before contacting WoodWorks with an issue at Elan Crown Point, a six-building, 315-unit residential complex west of Orlando. Al-Lebban had design questions related to the building’s blocked open front diaphragms and gabled roof section. WoodWorks provided a detailed response, supported with several sections of the relevant standard, and several code checks for open front diaphragms and their relevant references. Developed by Greystar, the largest multifamily developer in the United States, the 300,000-square-foot project is now under construction as part of the Crown Point Village mixed-use community near downtown Orlando.

Elan Crown Point, Rendering Credit: Greystar, Wire Development

These WoodWorks-assisted projects showcase growth sectors for wood construction with light-frame, mass timber, and hybrid systems in markets across the country.

SPOTLIGHTING AREAS OF OPPORTUNITY

PROJECT HIGHLIGHTS

financials

For every $1 invested since 2012, The average SLB return=

INCREMENTAL
BOARD FEET

104.1

$42.79

112.9

$85.71

126.6

$108.23

128.9

$69.74

106.5

$39.74

83.5

$38.38

70.9

$29.26

59.3

$20.46

53.8

$17.79

42.1

$16.11

38.7

$14.82

36.0

$11.59

Without the SLB,
annual softwood lumber use from
2020-2024 would have been 3.5% lower.

SLB 2025 Budget snapshot: $18,216,861

16.1%

$2,934,000

Communications

25.8%

$4,698,584

Code

31.1%

$5,661,000

Conversion

4.1%

$745,000

Industry Relations

3.0%

$541,000

Applied Research

1.1%

$200,000

Public-Private Partnerships

7.1%

$1,289,000

Education

1.1%

$200,000

Government Fees

8.0%

$1,448,277

Administration

$500,000

Working Forest Campaign

2.7%

The SLB team has been a careful steward of the industry’s funds while making smart

investments to grow the market share for lumber. Through the SLB’s investment and support of WoodWorks, the AWC, Education, and Think Wood, we continue to see return on our investment: Every dollar invested in the SLB generated 82 board feet of incremental demand. By supporting the SLB, its programs, and its partnerships with like-minded wood industry organizations, the lumber industry can continue to build on our momentum.

Jim Neiman, Neiman Enterprises, President & CEO;
Treasurer, SLB Board of Directors

SLB TEAM

2024 NON-DIRECTOR

COMMITTEE MEMBERS

2024 SLB

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Director Communications

Jeffrey
Lee

Director
Education

Reed Kelterborn

Director
Think Wood

Katie Gerfen

VP
Marketing and
Communications

Simon Hyoun

SVP
Operations

Maureen Pello

Chief Marketing Officer

Ryan
Flom

President & CEO

Cees de Jager

*2024 Executive Committee Members

Canada East

J.D. Irving, Ltd.
Vice President

Jérôme Pelletier*

Canada West

Tolko Industries Ltd.
President & CEO

Brad Thorlakson*

Canada West

West Fraser
Former President
& CEO

Ray
Ferris*

U.S. Northeast & Great Lakes States

Biewer Lumber
President & CEO

Tim
Biewer

U.S. WEST

Forest City
Trading Group
Former CEO

Craig
Johnston

U.S. WEST

Neiman Enterprises, Inc.
President & CEO

Jim
Neiman*

U.S. WEST

Sierra Pacific Industries
President
(Chair Emeritus)

George Emmerson*

U.S. WEST

PotlatchDeltic
Vice President of
Wood Products

Ashlee
Cribb

U.S. WEST

Idaho Forest Group Chair
(Chair Emeritus)

Marc Brinkmeyer*

U.S. South

T.R. Miller Mill Company
President & CEO

Ricky Stanley

U.S. South

Weyerhaeuser
Senior Vice President
of Wood Products

Keith
O’Rear

U.S. South

The Westervelt Company
Former President
(Chair)

Brian
Luoma*

U.S. South

Hankins, Inc.
Owner

J.D.
Hankins*

U.S. South

Georgia Pacific
President of Lumber

Fritz
Mason

Executive: Caroline Dauzat, Rex Lumber, Chair Emeritus, Ex-Officio; Jack Jordan, Jordan Lumber & Supply, Chair Emeritus, Ex-Officio;
Don Kayne, Canfor, Program Chair Emeritus, Ex-Officio

Finance: Furman Brodie, Charles Ingram Lumber Co.; Susan Coulombe, J.D. Irving, Ltd; Ian Fillinger, Interfor;
Alden Robbins, Robbins Lumber

IR&G: Todd Payne, Sierra Pacific Industries

If you'd like a printed version of the Annual Report mailed to you,
please email info@softwoodlumberboard.org. *For Industry Members Only

2024 Annual Report

Download the SLB

DOWNLOAD PDF

Other ReportS

2024 Independent Evaluation of the Impact of the SLB

Q1 2024 Report

2024 QUARTERLY REPORTS

Q3 2024 Report

Q2 2024 Report

2021 Annual Report

2023 Annual Report

2022 Annual Report

Access Past Reports

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

ANNUAL REPORT

Driving Innovation, Expanding Opportunities

2024

cultivating future design professionals more comfortable specifying wood.

Influenced postsecondarystudents and faculty at

Construction Type

6%
Light-Frame
402 MM BF

25%
Mass Timber
179 MM BF

8%
Hybrid Light-Frame
& Mass Timber
48 MM BF

Jérôme Pelletier, J.D. Irving Ltd., Vice President;
2025 SLB First Vice Chair, SLB Board of Directors

263

schools

10,647

Highly Engaged
Leads produced
— a record.

71%

highly engaged
users Say

they are likely to specify wood systems
in the next 12 months.

INFLUENCED

1,498

projects to build with wood

Resulting in 629 MM BF
of incremental lumber in 2024.

adopted mass timber code provisions in 2024 with AWC support bringing the total states having adopted them to 39.

10 new states

in savings per building

making wood construction more cost-competitive by reducing sealant/adhesive requirements when AWC 2027 IBC change priority is adopted.

$360,000

The Average Incremental Demand is 86 BF/$1
Over the Lifetime of the SLB from 2012–2024.

$1 = 82 BF

OF INCREMENTAL DEMAND
FROM SLB INVESTMENTS.

OF TOTAL NEW DEMAND
RESULTING FROM SLB
INVESTMENTS SINCE 2012.

Every $100 the SLB invests
in programs leverages

on average since 2021.

$96 in additional outside funding

Reached

15.3 BBF

OF EDUCATION TO ARCHITECTS, ENGINEERS, DEVELOPERS, CONTRACTORS, AND CODE OFFICIALS FROM SLB–FUNDED PROGRAMS.

Delivered More Than

163,400 HOURS

BY FACILITATING WOOD USE, PRODUCED A CARBON BENEFIT OF
3.8 MILLION METRIC TONS OF CO₂.

BILLION BOARD FEET OF INCREMENTAL DEMAND.

1.6

IN 2024 THE SLB GENERATED

2024 HIGHLIGHTS

5.3 MM

2022

Q2 1.4 MM

Q4 1.4 MM

Q3 1.2 MM

Q1 1.3 MM

(Metric Tons of CO2)

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

Brian Luoma, Board Chair

Read CeeS's Letter

A Clear Vision for Growing Lumber Demand

A letter from Cees de Jager | President & CEO

Read Brian's Letter

It is with pride that I share with you the Softwood Lumber Board’s 2024 Annual Report. The SLB and its funded programs and initiatives had another productive year, delivering measurable impact for the industry by generating incremental softwood lumber demand and diversifying the market for wood construction.

Our Industry Is Stronger Together

A letter from Brian Luoma | Board Chair

Humbird at Schweitzer, Skylab Architecture,
Photo Credit: Jeremy Bittermann

2024 Metrics

STORIES

The AWC Defends Wood
Use in WUI Regions

The AWC Pursues Opportunities for Lumber in 2027 Code Cycle

New Regional EPDs Unlock Opportunity by Providing Carbon Data

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.

Fritz Mason, Georgia-Pacific President of Lumber;
2025 Chair, SLB Board of Directors

Vesterheim Commons, Snøhetta, BNIM (AOR), Fast + Epp, Photo Credit: Michael Grimm

2024 Metrics

STORIES

High-Value Content Leads to Record-Breaking Engagement

Popular Single-Family Resources Engage All Audiences—Not Just Builders

Think Wood Touts Material’s
Benefits in High-Growth School Construction Sector

ABOUT THINK WOOD

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.

Tim Biewer, Biewer Lumber, President and CEO;
SLB Board of Directors

11 E Lenox, Monte French Design Studio,
Photo Credit: Jane Messinger

2024 Metrics

STORIES

Light-Frame Education and Support Grow Key Market

Studies Prove Wood’s Benefits

General Contractor Training Removes Barriers to Wood Construction

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.

Trey Hankins, Hankins, Inc., CFO;
SLB Board of Directors

UCSC Kresge College, Studio Gang,
Photo Credit: Jason O'Rear

2024 Metrics

STORIES

SLB Faculty Workshops Overcome Wood Education Gap

Student Events Promote Deeper Connections With Wood Design

Wood Institute Achieves
Stunning Growth

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.

Ashlee Cribb, PotlatchDeltic, Wood Products Division, Vice President; 2025 SLB Second Vice Chair,
SLB Board of Directors

Terrence Busuttil,
Director of constructsteel

Hybrid construction meets a market demand for cost-effective, pragmatic design solutions that reduce a building’s carbon impact.

Hybrid Construction

Strategic Relationship Promotes
Steel-Timber Hybrid Construction

843 N Spring St., LEVER Architecture, Photo Credit: Jeremy Bittermann

1 of 4

Mixed-use | Los Angeles, California

843 N. Spring Street

Growing awareness of the low-carbon benefits of mass timber and the material’s performance in
high-rise construction has inspired a new generation of mass timber-steel hybrid buildings that make the most of each material’s capabilities. Structural steel’s robust span-to-depth ratio and mass timber’s beauty and biophilic benefits offer an appealing combination, especially for tall urban projects. Here are a few examples of hybrid success stories.

Hybrid Construction

Steel and Mass Timber
Pair Strength and Sustainability

The Walter Gladwin Recreation Center in Tremont, Bronx, was an awardee of the NYC Mass Timber Studio. Rendering Credit: MARVEL.

1500 Waters from Algoma in Savannah was one of three projects selected for the Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator. Photo Credit: Algoma

Mass timber accelerators in key regions remove market barriers and ensure maximum funding impact.

With the success of the inaugural programs, the SLB expects to grow the accelerator program in 2025. Cities are invited to join this movement by applying for funding.

Working with jurisdictions, industry, and local governments, SLB-supported mass timber accelerator initiatives are expanding opportunities for mass timber projects, removing barriers, and streamlining code compliance in Boston, New York,
and Atlanta.

In early 2024, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) announced the winning design teams for its first-ever Mass Timber Studio, a technical assistance program designed to support active mass timber development projects in the early phases of project planning and design.

Partnerships

SLB-Supported Mass Timber Accelerators
Help Drive Market Growth

Chris French
USDA Forest Service Associate Chief

The Mass Timber Competition-winning Via Emma development broke ground in 2024.

The wood-built solar pergola at Evergreen Charter School, which is nearing completion of construction.

Ongoing Cooperation

The agency is a key partner on the
Mass Timber Competition and other
SLB-led programs that expand the market for lumber.

The USDA Forest Service has contributed key funding to SLB core programs Think Wood, WoodWorks, and the AWC. The SLB and USDA Forest Service have jointly funded WoodWorks, and the USDA Forest Service has also provided major grants to the AWC, as well as $775,000 over the last two years for Think Wood. These investments show how the SLB’s work leads to impactful public-private partnerships to grow demand for lumber.

Since forming an alliance through a memorandum of understanding in 2015, then a second MOU that expanded the partnership in 2021, the SLB and the USDA Forest Service have jointly funded a variety of projects to increase the market for lumber by showcasing inspirational projects and innovative wood building designs. Intended to expand the use of mass timber in the United States, the 2022 and 2023 Mass Timber Competition: Building to Net-Zero Carbon programs awarded support to several projects that highlight mass timber’s application, practicality, commercial viability, and ability to reduce the carbon footprint of the built environment. The Mass Timber Competitions have disbursed a total of $1.78 million to help project teams overcome barriers to using a new building material and system.

The 2023 Mass Timber Competition–winning Via Emma development in Springdale, Arkansas, broke ground in 2024. The workforce housing project was recognized for how it grapples with the affordable housing shortage by using mass timber alongside wood-frame and prefabricated construction. “The Mass Timber Competition award gave us a venue to develop our thinking even more,” says Fouad Khalil, principal of Modly, the industrialized construction consultancy that partnered on the project with real estate developer Blue Crane. “It allowed us to set our horizon further on things we can do next.”

Partnerships

Public-Private Partnership with USDA Forest Service
Boosts Demand-Driving Programs

The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook helps developers, designers, and insurers resolve challenges that impact the insurability of mass timber buildings. Mississippi Workshop, Waechter Architecture,
Photo Credit: Laura Swimmer

The resource helps developers, design teams, and insurers work together to improve the cost-effective insurability
of mass timber buildings.

While not a guarantee, adhering to the principles in the playbook should help project teams achieve the best pricing, terms, and conditions available in the current insurance market.

OPPORTUNITIES

Mass Timber Insurance Playbook Addresses Barrier

Together, the SLB’s funded programs maximize the productivity and efficiency of live events, extending reach and complementing expertise.

International Builders' Show

Think Wood complemented WoodWorks’ role at the Mass Timber Conference with a booth promoting Think Wood’s educational resources, allowing design professionals to continue their own wood education path. Think Wood also joined forces with several industry association partners at the International Builders’ Show, JLC Live, and the AIA Conference on Architecture with a new trade show experience to highlight the benefits of wood in single-family construction and remodeling. The new flexibility of Think Wood’s booth setup allowed for additional partners to have a presence, including the Southern Forest Products Association (SFPA), the Western Red Cedar Lumber Association (WRCLA), the Northeastern Lumber Manufacturers Association (NeLMA), the Western Wood Preservers Institute (WWPI), the Western Wood Products Association (WWPA), and new to this year’s show, the Cedar Shake and Shingle Bureau.

WoodWorks continues to co-produce the International Mass Timber Conference, leading the education programming for the country’s largest gathering of mass timber professionals
and presenting several sessions to help close the gap in available information and expand the number of practitioners capable of realizing successful wood buildings. In 2025, WoodWorks will have a more engaged role in programming the conference’s developer track.

EVENTS

SLB Programs Collaborate to Educate
Builders and Designers at Industry Events

Elan Crown Point, Rendering Credit: Greystar, Wire Development

1 of 4

Elan Crown Point | Ocoee, Florida - Multifamily

13.2 BF/SF

Light-Frame

These WoodWorks-assisted projects showcase growth sectors for wood construction with light-frame, mass timber, and hybrid systems in markets across the country.

FEATURED PROJECTS

Spotlighting Areas
of Opportunity
Project Highlights

Jim Neiman, Neiman Enterprises, President & CEO;
Treasurer, SLB Board of Directors

The SLB team has been a careful steward of the industry’s funds while making smart investments to grow the market share for lumber. Through the SLB’s investment and support of WoodWorks, the AWC, Education, and Think Wood, we continue to see return on our investment: Every dollar invested in the SLB generated 82 board feet of incremental demand. By supporting the SLB, its programs, and its partnerships with like-minded wood industry organizations, the lumber industry can continue to build on our momentum.

Without the SLB,
annual softwood lumber use from 2020-2024 would have been 3.5% lower.

ClicK Gray circles for detailS

SLB 2025 Budget snapshot: $18,216,861

25.8%

$4,698,584

Code

For every $1 invested since 2012, The average SLB return=

INCREMENTAL
BOARD FEET

FINANCIALS

SLB TEAM

Executive: Caroline Dauzat, Rex Lumber, Chair Emeritus, Ex-Officio; Jack Jordan, Jordan Lumber & Supply, Chair Emeritus, Ex-Officio; Don Kayne, Canfor, Program Chair Emeritus, Ex-Officio

Finance: Furman Brodie, Charles Ingram Lumber Co.; Susan Coulombe, J.D. Irving, Ltd; Ian Fillinger, Interfor Alden Robbins, Robbins Lumber

IR&G: Todd Payne, Sierra Pacific Industries

U.S. South

T.R. Miller Mill Company
President & CEO

Ricky Stanley