Mass Timber Support Bill Pushed in U.S. Senate

The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act, which has bipartisan support, promotes the use of mass timber in U.S. construction.

The renewed effort to pass the legislation originally introduced last year is led by Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley and Idaho Republican Senator James Risch and supports efforts to promote the use of mass timber in federal building projects, military construction and other places. It is cosponsored by senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mike Crapo (R-ID).

“Mass timber creates jobs in rural and urban communities, reduces wildfire risk, increases forest resiliency and helps us shrink our carbon footprint,” said Merkley. “This expanding industry presents a huge opportunity for Oregon, and we must do all we can to harness its power for our economy and environment. By using mass timber in federal projects, our bipartisan effort around this critical industry will help tackle our nation’s biggest challenges while creating good-paying jobs in Oregon and across the Pacific Northwest.”

“As a trained forester, I understand how important the timber industry is to Idaho communities, wildfire risk reduction and forest management,” said Risch, adding the legislation “is common sense to benefit Idaho’s forests, create jobs and increase economic growth.”

The bipartisan bill creates a two-tier contracting preference for mass timber and other innovative wood projects, according to published reports. “The first-tier preference applies to mass timber that is made within the U.S. and responsibly sourced from state, federal, private and Tribal forestlands. The optional second tier applies to mass timber products that are sourced from restoration practices, fire mitigation projects and/or underserved forest owners. Additionally, this bill contains a reporting requirement for a whole building lifecycle assessment.”

The act is said to be endorsed by the American Wood Council, Sustainable Northwest, Forest Landowners Association, National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), Freres Engineered Wood, Oregon Forest Industries Council, Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC), Oregon iSector, Washington Mass Timber Accelerator, Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub, American Forest Resource Council and Oregon Department of Forestry.

Weyerhaeuser, the big timber company, is also a supporter. Said Kristen Sawin, vice president of corporate affairs for the company, “Wood products are the most sustainable, versatile and cost-effective building material we have. Building more with wood decreases the country’s dependence on materials that have a much higher environmental impact and rely on large amounts of fossil fuels in their production.”

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works.

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