Author: Softwood Lumber Board

New city-led programs in Portland and Santa Monica highlight the next phase of the national initiative driving innovation in wood construction.

OREGON CITY, OR / ACCESS Newswire / November 18, 2025 / The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB), in partnership with the USDA Forest Service (Forest Service), is expanding its Accelerator Cities Program to advance affordable, sustainable building solutions through wood construction. Building on successful collaborations in Boston, Georgia, and New York City, the next phase of the initiative introduces new city-led programs in Portland, Oregon, and Santa Monica, California.

Launched to help cities pilot and scale low-carbon building approaches, the Accelerator Cities Program provides funding, technical support, and peer learning to drive innovation in wood design and construction. Each city’s program focuses on improving housing access, reducing embodied carbon, and strengthening local economies through wood-based development.

City of Portland – Pilot Mass Timber Feasibility Studies Grant Program

The City of Portland Housing Bureau (PHB) has launched a Pilot Mass Timber Feasibility Studies Grant Program to explore how mass timber construction can support the city’s sustainability goals and affordable housing priorities. With $450,000 in combined funding from the SLB, Forest Service, and PHB, the program will support several active development projects that test the feasibility and benefits of using mass timber in multifamily housing and related commercial projects. Beginning in 2026, selected project teams will complete feasibility studies comparing design, cost, and carbon performance between mass timber and conventional building materials.

The initiative builds on Portland’s goal to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 and reflects the city’s leadership in advancing sustainable, high-performance building solutions. Findings from the pilot will inform future policy updates, workforce development opportunities, and broader strategies for affordable, low-carbon housing, with an eye towards future support for mass timber construction.

City of Santa Monica – Santa Monica Mass Timber Accelerator

The City of Santa Monica is launching the Santa Monica Mass Timber Accelerator, a new initiative designed to evaluate and expand the use of sustainable building materials across local development projects. Backed by $115,000 in total funding from the SLB, Forest Service, and the City, the program will award competitive grants to design teams conducting early-phase feasibility studies on the use of mass timber in residential, commercial, and institutional construction.

Through public events, technical assistance, and industry collaboration, the program will raise awareness of mass timber’s environmental and economic benefits while fostering connections among architects, developers, and community leaders. Supported by national and local partners, the initiative will also assess opportunities for workforce growth and carbon reduction within Santa Monica’s building sector.

Running from November 2025 through March 2027, the program aligns with the city’s broader sustainability and housing goals by promoting innovative, lower-carbon approaches to construction and development.

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“Each city we partner with brings new insights into how mass timber can help meet housing, sustainability, and economic goals,” said Cees de Jager, President and CEO of the Softwood Lumber Board. “Through the Accelerator Cities Program, we’re helping local leaders and building professionals demonstrate that wood construction is not only viable-it’s a scalable solution for sustainable, affordable development.”

“In the midst of an ongoing housing crisis, Portland is eager to support innovative housing development strategies,” said Portland Deputy City Administrator for Community & Economic Development, Donnie Oliveira. “Mass timber represents a unique opportunity to fuse environmental sustainability, workforce development, and faster, more affordable housing development. Portland is grateful to the Softwood Lumber Board and the US Forest Service for partnering with us to move this critical work forward.”

“The City of Santa Monica is proud to continue our tradition as a leader in sustainability and demonstrate our commitment to innovation,” said Chief Sustainability Officer for the City of Santa Monica, Shannon Parry. “The mass timber accelerator is an exciting opportunity to showcase how sustainability can be a catalyst to reach our economic development and housing goals.”

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About the Accelerator Cities Program

The Accelerator Cities Program is a national initiative of the SLB and Forest Service designed to help cities pilot and scale sustainable wood building systems. Through direct project funding, technical assistance, and peer exchange, the program supports city-led innovation in housing, sustainability, and community development. Visit softwoodlumberboard.org/accelerator-cities-program for more information.

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About the Softwood Lumber Board

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. The SLB invests in strategic programs and initiatives that drive demand and grow markets for softwood lumber products in the United States.

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About the Forest Service
Established in 1905, the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the nation’s foremost federal forestry organization. The agency is a world leader in forest research, providing leadership in the sustainable management, conservation, use, and stewardship of natural and cultural resources on national forests and grasslands in the United States.

Dedicated Forest Service employees manage the National Forest System, which consists of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering 193 million acres in 43 states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The agency’s renowned fire management organization provides critical expertise in making communities and infrastructure safer. Moreover, the agency helps communities; state, local, and tribal governments; forest industries; and private forest landowners improve conditions in both urban and rural areas. In total, the Forest Service helps to steward about 900 million forested acres in the U.S., including 130 million acres in urban areas, which most Americans now call home.

SOURCE: Softwood Lumber Board

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

OREGON CITY, OREGON / ACCESS Newswire / October 29, 2025 / The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and the USDA Forest Service (USDA) announced the winners of the 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools. This year’s competition awarded $1.8 million to support projects that accelerate the adoption of mass timber in the United States, with a dedicated focus on K-12 educational environments.

The winning projects demonstrate how biophilic design with mass timber can strengthen academic performance, improve teacher and staff well-being, and create healthier, more resilient learning spaces for students. This marks the third cycle of the competition, which has already advanced a range of innovative mass timber projects nationwide.

“Mass timber is a revolutionary building material-and in schools, a pathway to better learning and stronger communities. By integrating the principles of biophilia into K-12 learning environments, these winning projects will demonstrate how wood can support academic achievement, teacher satisfaction, and long-term sustainability. The SLB is proud to help accelerate adoption where it matters most: in the classrooms that shape our future,” said Cees de Jager, President and CEO of the SLB.

“Sustainably harvested timber plays a critical role in improving the health and resilience of America’s forests, while providing the raw material for schools that inspire and uplift. By linking responsible forest management with the needs of K-12 communities, these projects show how the benefits of mass timber reach from our forests directly into classrooms – where students, educators, and families all stand to gain,” added John Crockett, USDA Forest Service Deputy Chief for State, Private, and Tribal Forestry.

This year’s winning proposals included:

Cleveland High School

Portland, Oregon – Project Team: Portland Public Schools, Mahlum Architects, Studio Petretti Architects, KPFF Structural Engineering, Code Bird Consulting, Skanska

Cleveland High School sits on a small urban site that has filled up as the school has grown over the years, leaving little open or outdoor space for students to socialize or even eat lunch. The new 1,700 student Cleveland High School will consist of two four-story towers surrounding a courtyard that provides outdoor space for learning, socializing, and athletics, and connected by a mass timber framed bridge. Most of the classrooms and a variety of other spaces will be located in a Type-IV HT mass timber structure, with acoustic DLT (ADLT) floors eliminating the need for extensive acoustic tile ceilings in classrooms.

New Lawton Elementary School

Ann Arbor, Michigan – Project Team: Ann Arbor Public Schools, Gilbane Building Company, Quinn Evans Architects, Brix Corporation

This new elementary school will deliver a 21st-century learning environment with strong indoor-outdoor connections, Passive House performance, and US-CHPS “Verified Leader” certification. Net-zero-ready and all-electric, the project emphasizes wellness, daylighting, and sustainability while preserving the site’s iconic legacy oak tree. The superstructure is designed to maximize carbon reduction through a primarily mass timber system, with CLT floor and roof decks and glulam beams, girders, and columns. Exposed timber will define key spaces such as the library, café, and gathering heart, providing both structural efficiency and biophilic impact.

New Central Maui School

Waikapu, Hawaii – Project Team: Hawaii School Facilities Authority, Hawaii Off Grid, MKThink, R.T. Tanaka Engineers, Mo’olelo Group

Addressing urgent community needs following the Lahaina wildfire and regional population growth, this new middle school will initially serve 300-600 students, expanding over time to 1,150. Designed as a community school, its facilities will serve both students and the broader community, with the cafetorium doubling as an emergency shelter. The structural system is planned as slab-on-grade with glulam posts and beams supporting CLT, NLT, or DLT roof framing and select partition walls. By deploying a comprehensive mass timber system across classroom and communal spaces, the project both reduces carbon and showcases wood’s role in resilient community infrastructure.

Whittier Elementary School

Washington, D.C. – Project Team: Hord Coplan Macht, DC Public Schools, MCN, CMTA, SKA Engineers

This net-zero renovation and expansion of Whittier will more than double the school’s space while preserving its historic main building. The mass timber addition will include a library, STEM and art classrooms, a gym, a cafeteria, and outdoor green space. With support from the competition, the project team is exploring substituting the originally planned steel framing with CLT and glulam systems supplied. Timber would be featured in highly visible learning spaces to integrate with Whittier’s sustainability curriculum, while span optimization and cost modeling are being used to confirm its viability as an economical and educationally enriching choice.

About the Competition

The 2025 Mass Timber Competition sought to highlight the unique advantages of mass timber in K-12 educational projects, including classrooms, libraries, athletic facilities, daycare centers, and vocational training centers. Eligible applicants included U.S.-based for-profit firms, nonprofit organizations, school districts, local governments, and Native American tribal governments.

WoodWorks, a nonprofit staffed with structural engineers, architects, and construction experts, conducted the technical screening and evaluation of entries. Finalists were selected by an independent jury representing architecture, structural engineering, construction, education, and sustainability. The jury included:

• Suni Dillard, Sustainability Leader at HMFH Architects

• John Hand, Associate Principal at Arup

• Esther Liu, President and CEO of LSW Architects

• Catie Ryan, Associate Partner at Terrapin Bright Green

• Craig Schiller, Executive Director of the Collaborative for High Performance Schools (CHPS)

• Heather Stegner, COO of the American Wood Council

• Andrew Waugh, Founder and Director of Waugh Thistleton Architects

• Antony Wood, Professor at Illinois Institute of Technology

Winning projects exemplify how mass timber can deliver scalable, repeatable models for educational facilities across the U.S. Award recipients have pledged to share lessons learned-including cost analyses, life cycle assessments, and design insights-with the broader construction and education communities.

Media Contact

For images and more information about the winning projects, contact: info@softwoodlumberboard.org.

About the Softwood Lumber Board

The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is an industry-funded initiative established to promote the uses as well as the environmental and economic benefits of softwood lumber products. Programs and initiatives supported by the SLB, including American Wood Council, Think Wood, WoodWorks, and SLB Education focus on increasing the demand for lumber products in the United States. For more information, visit www.softwoodlumberboard.org.

About the USDA Forest Service

Established in 1905, the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the nation’s foremost federal forestry organization. The agency is a world leader in forest research, providing leadership in the sustainable management, conservation, use, and stewardship of natural and cultural resources on national forests and grasslands in the United States.

Dedicated Forest Service employees manage the National Forest System, which consists of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering 193 million acres in 43 states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The agency’s renowned fire management organization provides critical expertise in making communities and infrastructure safer. Moreover, the agency helps communities; state, local, and tribal governments; forest industries; and private forest landowners improve conditions in both urban and rural areas. In total, the Forest Service helps to steward about 900 million forested acres in the U.S., including 130 million acres in urban areas, which most Americans now call home.

SOURCE: Softwood Lumber Board

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

The Softwood Lumber Board marks National Forest Products Week by showcasing ongoing innovation in sustainable building in partnership with the Forest Service.

OREGON CITY, OREGON / ACCESS Newswire / October 20, 2025 / As the nation observes National Forest Products Week, the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) and the USDA Forest Service are celebrating more than a decade of successful partnership that has advanced sustainable building solutions and expanded markets for softwood lumber.

The organizations first formalized their collaboration through a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in 2015, followed by an expanded agreement in 2021 aimed at growing demand for wood products. Since 2015, the SLB and Forest Service have jointly invested nearly $100 million in programs and competitions that position lumber as a sustainable and innovative building material.

These initiatives have launched city-based accelerators in Boston, New York, and Georgia; supported national design competitions showcasing lumber’s potential in schools, housing, and community infrastructure; and driven measurable growth in softwood lumber’s market share.

“This partnership is unlocking innovation across the building sector,” said Cees de Jager, President and CEO of the SLB. “Our work with the Forest Service shows that by combining resources and expertise, we can reduce barriers to low-carbon wood construction and ensure lumber continues to meet the nation’s needs for sustainable, resilient, and cost-effective housing and buildings.”

Through co-funded initiatives within WoodWorks and Think Wood, the collaboration is equipping design teams, developers, contractors, and communities with the tools and knowledge to design and construct wood buildings with confidence. These programs also support resilient forests and rural economies, underscoring the wide-reaching benefits of public-private collaboration.

Looking ahead, this joint commitment will play a central role in achieving the SLB’s strategic goal of generating 2.9 billion board feet in new annual lumber demand by 2035-ensuring lumber continues to grow its place in key markets while delivering lasting value for the industry, communities, and the environment.

“We’re proud to partner with the Softwood Lumber Board to advance the essential connections between forest management and markets,” said John Crockett, Deputy Chief for State, Private, and Tribal Forestry and the National Forest System at the Forest Service. “These efforts don’t just grow markets. They open a way to healthier forests, stronger communities, and a more sustainable future. The Softwood Lumber Board plays a vital role in these efforts, and I applaud the industry’s foresight and steady commitment. I look forward to building on this strong foundation and the impact that we can achieve in the years ahead.”

Visit softwoodlumberboard.org to learn more about the SLB’s past and current collaborations with the Forest Service.

About the Softwood Lumber Board

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. The SLB invests in strategic programs and initiatives that drive demand and grow markets for softwood lumber products in the United States.

About the Forest Service

Established in 1905, the Forest Service, an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is the nation’s foremost federal forestry organization. The agency is a world leader in forest research, providing leadership in the sustainable management, conservation, use, and stewardship of natural and cultural resources on national forests and grasslands in the United States.

Dedicated Forest Service employees manage the National Forest System, which consists of 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands covering 193 million acres in 43 states, the Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. The agency’s renowned fire management organization provides critical expertise in making communities and infrastructure safer. Moreover, the agency helps communities; state, local, and tribal governments; forest industries; and private forest landowners improve conditions in both urban and rural areas. In total, the Forest Service helps to steward about 900 million forested acres in the U.S., including 130 million acres in urban areas, which most Americans now call home.

Contact Information

Simon Hyoun
VP of Marketing and Communications
info@softwoodlumberboard.org
(971) 339-4934

SOURCE: Softwood Lumber Board

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire