Oregon BEST and Oregon State University are teaming with a Southern Oregon timber business in a bid to turn the state into a center for Cross-Laminated Timber Manufacturing.
Oregon BEST is investing $150,000 into research to support development of the United States’ first CLT plant — at DR Johnson, a Riddle, Oregon timber mill and laminating business.
Ken Vaughn, director of business development at Oregon BEST, announced the latest investment Thursday during the annual Wood Solutions Fair, held at the Oregon Convention Center. The program emphasized the sustainable and seismic value of wood for architects and engineers.
Cross-laminated timber panels can be up to 10 feet wide, 60 feet long and 18 inches thick. They have gained rapid acceptance as a building material in Europe and Canada. There are two manufacturing plants in North America, both in Canada.
DR Johnson hopes to produce the first panels for testing by the American Plywood Association in coming months. The product must be certified before it can be used. The investment will allow DR Johnson to collaborate with Lech Muszynski, a professor in OSU’s Department of Wood Science and Engineering, on technical aspects of the new building technology.
From Portland Business Journal: http://www.bizjournals.com/portland/blog/sbo/2014/10/wood-solutions-fairoregon-best-wants-to-create-a.html