The mass-timber revolution is swiftly making its mark on the American landscape. As of March, an estimated 1,384 mass-timber buildings have been constructed or are in design in all 50 states, and in August the 25-story Ascent tower in downtown Milwaukee edged out Voll Arkitekter’s Mjøstårne in Norway for the distinction of the world’s tallest timber building.
Sustainability, heavily emphasized by the timber industry, has been a major accelerant of the phenomenon. Compared to steel or concrete, the benefits of timber construction are significant—both in the long-term storing of carbon and in emissions reductions from forest to jobsite. Yet the idea that “all wood is good” glosses over the intricacies of a complex supply chain, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, whose abundance of high-quality lumber—primarily Douglas Fir—is the mainstay of the U.S. lumber business.
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