BOARD
& TEAM
FINANCIALS
MASS TIMBER
COMPETITION
FEATURED
PROJECTS
OPPORTUNITIES
SLB
STRATEGY
ACCELERATOR
CITIES
PROGRAM
HIGHLIGHTS
SLB
HIGHLIGHTS
LETTERS
Q1 HIGHLIGHTS
2026 goal.
"Since I first joined the board, 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."
Jérôme Pelletier
J.D. Irving Ltd., Vice President;
2025 SLB First Vice Chair, SLB Board of Directors
1 of 6
Hover over each segment on the right to see potential new lumber demand.
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In a competitive market for construction materials, focus
is essential. In 2026, the SLB continues to prioritize high-opportunity sectors, geographies, and building types where lumber has clear advantages and the path to conversion is shortest.
SLB Story 3:
Warehouses
SLB Story 1:
Accelerators
SLB Story 2:
AI Adoption
Jump to these stories.
Want to read more SLB stories?
1 of 4
SLB Education is advancing wood design and construction education in postsecondary schools—something that competing industries have been doing for decades. The program has now held 12 faculty workshops at institutions nationwide, equipping 300 educators with the knowledge, incentives, and resources to bring lumber-based building systems to the forefront of their classrooms. In addition to holding five more faculty workshops in 2026, SLB Education is working to remove structural barriers that prevent wood design courses from being included in postsecondary programs.
SLB Feature Story
In 2026, the SLB is sharpening its focus on what works by focusing on creating, defending, and implementing building codes and standards, amplifying design and construction best practices, inspiring innovation in new performance applications, and providing technical solutions to challenges for specifiers and contractors.
The SLB and its funded programs continued to generate momentum for lumber demand growth in Q1. This strong performance was the result of disciplined focus and collaboration between the SLB’s four primary funded programs: SLB Education, the American Wood Council, Think Wood, and WoodWorks. These efforts were driven by the SLB’s strategic plan, which lays out a clear roadmap to 2.9 BBF of incremental annual lumber demand by 2035.
Enable Rapid Integration
on the Wood Institute
on the Wood Institute
and Emerging Professionals
1 of 4
SLB Education is advancing wood design and construction education in postsecondary schools—something that competing industries have been doing for decades. The program has now held 12 faculty workshops at institutions nationwide, equipping 300 educators with the knowledge, incentives, and resources to bring lumber-based building systems to the forefront of their classrooms. In addition to holding five more faculty workshops in 2026, SLB Education is working to remove structural barriers that prevent wood design courses from being included in postsecondary programs.
SLB Story 1
Expands Lumber’s Momentum Nationwide
A key element of the SLB’s strategic plan is a focus on cities and regions where the potential for conversion to wood construction is highest. The SLB’s Accelerator Cities Program unlocks new lumber demand in those priority regional markets by combining the efforts of local governments, regional jurisdictions, and the softwood lumber industry to expand opportunities for new projects, remove barriers, and streamline code compliance.
Developed in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and supported by the U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities, the program’s initial pilots in Boston, New York City, and Georgia demonstrated that lumber-based systems can compete in dense, code-sensitive environments.
The SLB is now growing Accelerator Cities to new, high-impact urban markets across the country:
The City of Portland, Oregon, Housing Bureau’s Portland Mass Timber Accelerator is supporting five developments conducting feasibility studies for mass timber buildings to be constructed on city-owned parcels.
The City of Santa Monica, California’s Mass Timber Accelerator will fund early-stage mass timber design and feasibility work for residential, commercial, and institutional construction.
The New York City Economic Development Corporation has also indicated interest in launching a third consecutive year of its Mass Timber Studio, which has become a national model for integrating renewable construction into broader economic development strategies.
A new SLB partnership with C40 Cities will help expand the Accelerator Cities Program even further. C40 is a network of mayors of the world’s leading cities working together to build healthier, more sustainable cities. Alongside Architecture 2030, a thought-leading nonprofit working to reduce the environmental impact of the built environment, the SLB and C40 will convene a group of city leaders to tour mass timber projects and learn how wood construction can help cities boost their economy, achieve affordability goals, and reduce housing costs.
With a new Accelerator Model Blueprint, the SLB is conducting focused outreach to activate new Accelerator Cities. The lumber industry’s continuing investment in the SLB ensures these programs will gain momentum through the SLB’s experience and participation.
than at the end of 2025, driven by several significant light-frame
multifamily projects.
1550 Soldier’s Field Road | Icon Architecture | Photo Credit: Dellbrook|JKS
SF
BF
BF
SF
Directly Influenced
Hours
SLB Story 2
SLB’s Strategic Priorities
Across SLB-supported programs, the operating environment is becoming more data-driven, faster-moving, and more contested. Artificial intelligence allows the SLB and its programs to turn technical expertise and institutional knowledge into market influence more efficiently. In line with this opportunity, the SLB and its programs have moved from AI awareness into active implementation. Collectively, they are using AI to reduce administrative burden, improve content quality, and align more tightly with the SLB’s strategic priorities.
The pattern across programs is consistent: AI delivers the most value in tasks that are high-volume, repeatable, and document-intensive—drafting, summarizing, reporting, and media optimization. The SLB team is also developing AI tools to support strategic decision-making. For example, complex studies with large amounts of data become easier to work with and keep up to date when developed into a chat-based tool rather than a static document with a shorter shelf life. SLB programs are thoughtfully integrating AI where it adds value, while maintaining rigorous expert review standards for technical and code-related content.
As construction becomes increasingly data-driven, AI enables SLB programs to scale expertise, improve responsiveness, strengthen market access, and position wood more competitively in the next generation of building design, sustainability, and code development.
or employees?
Rate
Prospects
2,401 Cumulative SQLs
Generated
Kreher Preserve and Nature Center Environmental Education Building |
Leers Weinzapfel Associates | Photo Credit: C. W. Newell
SLB Story 3
Mass Timber Logistics Facility
Warehouses, logistics facilities, and data centers are examples of segments where changing the mindset of a few massive enterprises can have an outsize impact on lumber demand. One industry expert estimates 10% of mass timber sold in 2025 went to data center-
related projects.
Warehouses are a priority construction segment in the SLB’s strategic plan, with an incremental volume opportunity of 178 MM BF at just
5% market share, with significant upside as penetration increases.
As a trusted advisor to several companies exploring wood solutions nationwide, WoodWorks is laying the groundwork for broader industrial adoption, positioning lumber for growth as warehouse and data center construction gains momentum nationwide.
The first large-scale owner-occupied logistics facility in the United States built with mass timber, Amazon’s new Delivery Station DII5,
is now on the WoodWorks Innovation Network and was featured at International Mass Timber Conference. A keynote presentation by Amazon and Meta focused on how these companies are exploring mass timber for campuses, warehouses, and data centers. Amazon also discussed its facility in depth during a panel discussion that included project team members from ZGF Architects, KPFF, Graycor, and Sterling Structural.
WoodWorks served as a technical advisor on this project, with multiple staff providing support. Delivery Station DII5 sets a new benchmark for sustainable industrial construction, incorporating 40 carbon-reduction initiatives and demonstrating how incorporating lumber-based structural systems can reduce the embodied carbon of warehouses and contribute to occupant well-being through biophilic design.
It includes a hybrid panelized wood roof system and CLT walls in the warehouse and two 550-foot-long mass timber canopies on the building’s exterior. Mass timber is also used extensively in the office block. The project includes more than 1,100 CLT panels manufactured from U.S.-sourced southern pine.
Mystic Creek Clubhouse | DLR Group | Photo Credit: Kevin Reeves
Massachusetts Amherst.
Green Valley Ranch Development | DL Cohen |
Photo Credit: DL Cohen
across all events
hours logged
Codes, Standards, and Policy Engagement
CMC has materially expanded its role in defensive and offensive
code advocacy.
Why this matters to our industry:
CMC is proactively working to shape building codes and standards.
This strengthens masonry’s competitive position in markets where wood faces increasing scrutiny around fire, durability, insurance, and resilience.
Education and Workforce Pipeline
CMC is building its education pipeline to influence future designers, builders, contractors, and laborers.
Why this matters to our industry:
While not an immediate market-share threat, CMC is ensuring masonry
is normalized early in academic and professional training.
After several years of program buildout, the Concrete Masonry
Checkoff (CMC) program has begun transitioning from infrastructure
to coordinated market impact. Meeting the CMC’s objective—growing CMU market share by 20% over five years—requires functions that overlap with the SLB’s mission to influence material selection and decision makers, making it more important than ever for the lumber industry
to work with a unified strategic plan.
Design Professional Influence
CMC’s most consequential advance is its direct, early-stage influence on architects and engineers through the Block Design Collective (BDC).
Why this matters to our industry:
CMC directly competes with SLB-funded efforts aimed at positioning wood solutions in multifamily, commercial, and institutional markets.
It raises the bar for what “design outreach” now means in practice.
Unified National Marketing Narrative
The Beauty of Block campaign demonstrates disciplined national marketing execution that is in direct competition with Think Wood’s efforts and engagement.
Why this matters to our industry:
CMC has established a credible voice that reframes masonry around resilience, safety, sustainability, and design relevance—areas where wood, specifically Think Wood, also competes for narrative leadership.
If you have any questions about any SLB reports,
please email info@softwoodlumberboard.org.
Annual Report
Annual Report
Annual Report
Jérôme Pelletier
J.D. Irving Ltd., Vice President;
2025 SLB First Vice Chair, SLB Board of Directors
"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."
faculty at 291 schools cultivating future design professionals more comfortable specifying wood.
meaningful Think Wood campaign activities.
for a cumulative total of 61,100.
to specify wood systems in the next 12 months after engaging with the Think Wood campaign.
354 MM BF
8 BF/sq. ft.
& MASS TIMBER
47 MM BF
16 BF/sq. ft.
179 MM BF
12 BF/sq. ft.
from SLB investments is
in programs leverages
investments since 2012.
SLB-funded programs.
OF EDUCATION
62 MILLION
SQUARE FEET
Q1 HIGHLIGHTS
"If we didn't have the Softwood Lumber Board, I think at the end of the day we'd have a smaller market. We need to be aspirational as leaders of the industry to make sure that we keep this important work moving forward so that we can build out the industry's full potential.”
Brad thorlakson
Tolko Industries Ltd., Executive Chairman
1 of 6
Protect and Expand the Core
Multifamily 1- to 4-story remains the largest incremental opportunity, representing 670 MM BF in potential annual volume. Urban infill, zoning reform, and “Missing Middle” housing policies create room for expansion even as lumber maintains a strong share.
Light-frame systems align naturally with duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and low-rise apartment buildings increasingly favored in affordability-driven markets. Securing this volume requires protecting share while expanding hybrid systems where additional performance is needed. Because this segment builds on cost efficiency, speed, and workforce familiarity, it represents the most capital-efficient path to near-term growth.
Blockhouse | Uptic Studios | DCI Engineers | Photo Credit: Oliver Irwin Photography
Integrated Design Cubed ‘s Bucks T-4 Housing in Big Sky, Montana,
is the first large-scale mass timber modular building in the United States. The 120-module workforce housing project, featured in a Think Wood case study, demonstrates how lumber-based construction systems can help attainable housing projects pencil out. Big Sky Bucks T-4 Modular Housing | Peter Rose + Partners & NKBAK |
Photo Credit: Chuck Choi
Scaling Wood Where It Wins
The SLB’s pathway to 2.9 BBF in incremental annual demand by 2035 is anchored in targeted growth across five construction segments where lumber can scale efficiently: multifamily (1–4 and 5–8 stories), commercial, office and banks, education, and warehouses. These segments offer the strongest combination of volume potential and achievable market-share gains, based on FEA and SLB market analysis.
Focused Execution in High-Impact Markets
Growth across these segments depends on disciplined execution: prioritizing cities with the most opportunity for growth, reinforcing cost and speed advantages, and advancing hybrid systems that compete directly with steel and concrete. Targeting segments where wood can scale and pencil out leads to repeat approvals, institutional acceptance, and steady volume gains.
Ashlee Cribb
Vice President of Wood Products, PotlatchDeltic
Second Vice Chair, Programs Chair, SLB Board of Directors
"The concrete and steel industries have a lot of money, but by pooling our resources, I believe the lumber industry has an opportunity to be on the offensive. And we are gaining momentum because of the work being done across the Softwood Lumber Board programs."
Expanding ready-to-use course packages into architecture and construction management programs.
Deepening administrator engagement to institutionalize wood curriculum.
Wood Institute marketing continues to target new user growth while increasing repeat participation.
Connecting faculty training and professional CEUs so what’s taught in school carries into real-world projects.
What's Next
BY THE NUMBERS
"If we didn't have the Softwood Lumber Board, I think at the end of the day we'd have a smaller market. We need to be aspirational as leaders of the industry to make sure that we keep this important work moving forward so that we can build out the industry's full potential.”
Brad thorlakson
Tolko Industries Ltd., Executive Chairman
1 of 6
Protect and Expand the Core
Multifamily 1- to 4-story remains the largest incremental opportunity, representing 670 MM BF in potential annual volume. Urban infill, zoning reform, and “Missing Middle” housing policies create room for expansion even as lumber maintains a strong share.
Light-frame systems align naturally with duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and low-rise apartment buildings increasingly favored in affordability-driven markets. Securing this volume requires protecting share while expanding hybrid systems where additional performance is needed. Because this segment builds on cost efficiency, speed, and workforce familiarity, it represents the most capital-efficient path to near-term growth.
Blockhouse | Uptic Studios | DCI Engineers | Photo Credit: Oliver Irwin Photography
Integrated Design Cubed ‘s Bucks T-4 Housing in Big Sky, Montana,
is the first large-scale mass timber modular building in the United States. The 120-module workforce housing project, featured in a Think Wood case study, demonstrates how lumber-based construction systems can help attainable housing projects pencil out. Big Sky Bucks T-4 Modular Housing | Peter Rose + Partners & NKBAK |
Photo Credit: Chuck Choi
Scaling Wood Where It Wins
The SLB’s pathway to 2.9 BBF in incremental annual demand by 2035 is anchored in targeted growth across five construction segments where lumber can scale efficiently: multifamily (1–4 and 5–8 stories), commercial, office and banks, education, and warehouses. These segments offer the strongest combination of volume potential and achievable market-share gains, based on FEA and SLB market analysis.
Focused Execution in High-Impact Markets
Growth across these segments depends on disciplined execution: prioritizing cities with the most opportunity for growth, reinforcing cost and speed advantages, and advancing hybrid systems that compete directly with steel and concrete. Targeting segments where wood can scale and pencil out leads to repeat approvals, institutional acceptance, and steady volume gains.
Cade Warner
President & CEO, Westervelt Company,
Woodworks Board of directors
"There's an upward limit on how much lumber can be consumed in housing and industrial markets. We need to add new demand by encouraging new uses of lumber and converting projects using other materials. The SLB accomplishes that work through the work of its programs, WoodWorks, the American Wood Council, Think Wood, and SLB Education."
Advance “permit-ready” projects into starts as financing conditions improve.
Continue to prioritize light-frame multifamily and senior housing, and other sectors where demand and market share are strongest.
Build confidence with developers, design teams, and code authorities to advance tall wood and first-of-kind projects.
Expand contractor training to support repeatable, buildable wood construction.
Use secure AI platforms to streamline research and summarize technical resources, allowing staff to devote more hours to direct project support.
What's Next
While Maintaining Existing Markets
1550 Soldier’s Field Road | Icon Architecture |
Photo Credit: Dellbrook|JKS
BY THE NUMBERS
"If we didn't have the Softwood Lumber Board, I think at the end of the day we'd have a smaller market. We need to be aspirational as leaders of the industry to make sure that we keep this important work moving forward so that we can build out the industry's full potential.”
Brad thorlakson
Tolko Industries Ltd., Executive Chairman
1 of 6
Protect and Expand the Core
Multifamily 1- to 4-story remains the largest incremental opportunity, representing 670 MM BF in potential annual volume. Urban infill, zoning reform, and “Missing Middle” housing policies create room for expansion even as lumber maintains a strong share.
Light-frame systems align naturally with duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and low-rise apartment buildings increasingly favored in affordability-driven markets. Securing this volume requires protecting share while expanding hybrid systems where additional performance is needed. Because this segment builds on cost efficiency, speed, and workforce familiarity, it represents the most capital-efficient path to near-term growth.
Blockhouse | Uptic Studios | DCI Engineers | Photo Credit: Oliver Irwin Photography
Integrated Design Cubed ‘s Bucks T-4 Housing in Big Sky, Montana,
is the first large-scale mass timber modular building in the United States. The 120-module workforce housing project, featured in a Think Wood case study, demonstrates how lumber-based construction systems can help attainable housing projects pencil out. Big Sky Bucks T-4 Modular Housing | Peter Rose + Partners & NKBAK |
Photo Credit: Chuck Choi
Scaling Wood Where It Wins
The SLB’s pathway to 2.9 BBF in incremental annual demand by 2035 is anchored in targeted growth across five construction segments where lumber can scale efficiently: multifamily (1–4 and 5–8 stories), commercial, office and banks, education, and warehouses. These segments offer the strongest combination of volume potential and achievable market-share gains, based on FEA and SLB market analysis.
Focused Execution in High-Impact Markets
Growth across these segments depends on disciplined execution: prioritizing cities with the most opportunity for growth, reinforcing cost and speed advantages, and advancing hybrid systems that compete directly with steel and concrete. Targeting segments where wood can scale and pencil out leads to repeat approvals, institutional acceptance, and steady volume gains.
Caroline Dauzat
Owner, Rex Lumber
Chair Emeritus, SLB Board of Directors
"The board has been a positive force pushing us forward and engaging in what is really important, which is growing our market share."
Expand media integrations targeting developers, engineers, and commercial GCs, in addition to architects.
Advancing project storytelling with new case studies, including completed projects from Mass Timber Competition winners.
Develop resources focusing on modular construction for developer audiences.
Deepen co-nurturing with WoodWorks to accelerate conversion rates.
Deploy AI-driven data modeling to optimize paid media, lower lead acquisition costs, and increase engagement.
the following:
What's Next
& Conversions
Kreher Preserve and Nature Center Environmental Education Building|
Leers Weinzapfel Associates | Photo Credit: C. W. Newell
BY THE NUMBERS
in New Markets
and Beyond
"If we didn't have the Softwood Lumber Board, I think at the end of the day we'd have a smaller market. We need to be aspirational as leaders of the industry to make sure that we keep this important work moving forward so that we can build out the industry's full potential.”
Brad thorlakson
Tolko Industries Ltd., Executive Chairman
1 of 6
Protect and Expand the Core
Multifamily 1- to 4-story remains the largest incremental opportunity, representing 670 MM BF in potential annual volume. Urban infill, zoning reform, and “Missing Middle” housing policies create room for expansion even as lumber maintains a strong share.
Light-frame systems align naturally with duplexes, triplexes, townhomes, and low-rise apartment buildings increasingly favored in affordability-driven markets. Securing this volume requires protecting share while expanding hybrid systems where additional performance is needed. Because this segment builds on cost efficiency, speed, and workforce familiarity, it represents the most capital-efficient path to near-term growth.
Blockhouse | Uptic Studios | DCI Engineers | Photo Credit: Oliver Irwin Photography
Integrated Design Cubed ‘s Bucks T-4 Housing in Big Sky, Montana,
is the first large-scale mass timber modular building in the United States. The 120-module workforce housing project, featured in a Think Wood case study, demonstrates how lumber-based construction systems can help attainable housing projects pencil out. Big Sky Bucks T-4 Modular Housing | Peter Rose + Partners & NKBAK |
Photo Credit: Chuck Choi
Scaling Wood Where It Wins
The SLB’s pathway to 2.9 BBF in incremental annual demand by 2035 is anchored in targeted growth across five construction segments where lumber can scale efficiently: multifamily (1–4 and 5–8 stories), commercial, office and banks, education, and warehouses. These segments offer the strongest combination of volume potential and achievable market-share gains, based on FEA and SLB market analysis.
Focused Execution in High-Impact Markets
Growth across these segments depends on disciplined execution: prioritizing cities with the most opportunity for growth, reinforcing cost and speed advantages, and advancing hybrid systems that compete directly with steel and concrete. Targeting segments where wood can scale and pencil out leads to repeat approvals, institutional acceptance, and steady volume gains.
Sean McLaren
President and CEO, West Fraser,
Chair, American Wood Council Board of Directors
"As a global producer of renewable wood products with a significant footprint in both Canada and the United States, West Fraser is proud to contribute to a dynamic North American lumber industry that’s redefining and expanding how wood is used. The Softwood Lumber Board plays an important role in this transformation, driving market growth for both light-frame and mass timber construction, while elevating the environmental and performance advantages of responsibly sourced wood through strategic advocacy, education, and building code advancement."
Hearings (April 2026):
Consensus Voting (May 2026):
What's Next
and Protects Market Access
Mystic Creek Clubhouse | DLR Group |
Photo Credit: Kevin Reeves
BY THE NUMBERS
After several years of program buildout, the Concrete Masonry Checkoff (CMC) program has begun transitioning from infrastructure to coordinated market impact. Meeting the CMC’s objective—growing CMU market share by 20% over five years—requires functions that overlap with the SLB’s mission to influence material selection and decision makers, making it more important than ever for the lumber industry to work with a unified strategic plan.
Design Professional Influence
CMC’s most consequential advance is its direct, early-stage influence on architects
and engineers through the Block Design Collective (BDC).
Why this matters to our industry:
CMC directly competes with SLB-funded efforts aimed at positioning wood solutions in multifamily, commercial, and institutional markets. It raises the bar for what “design outreach” now means in practice.
Unified National Marketing Narrative
The Beauty of Block campaign demonstrates disciplined national marketing execution that is in direct competition with Think Wood’s efforts and engagement.
Why this matters to our industry:
CMC has established a credible voice that reframes masonry around resilience, safety, sustainability, and design relevance—areas where wood, specifically Think Wood, also competes for narrative leadership.
Codes, Standards, and Policy Engagement
CMC has materially expanded its role in defensive and offensive code advocacy.
Why this matters to our industry:
CMC is proactively working to shape building codes and standards. This strengthens masonry’s competitive position in markets where wood faces increasing scrutiny around fire, durability, insurance, and resilience.
Education and Workforce Pipeline
CMC is building its education pipeline to influence future designers, builders, contractors, and laborers.
Why this matters to our industry:
While not an immediate market-share threat, CMC is ensuring masonry is normalized early in academic and professional training.
If you'd like a printed version of the
Annual Report mailed to you, please email info@softwoodlumberboard.org.
*For Industry Members Only
