WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Angus King (I-Maine), a member of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee and the co-chair of the Working Forest Caucus, led a bipartisan group of his colleagues in a letter to U.S. Department of Agriculture supporting an award program for educational institutes who explore new potential uses for mass timber. In the letter, which was also signed by Senator Susan Collins (R-Maine), the Senators point to the previous success of similar programs through USDA and the U.S. Forest Service, and highlight that the innovative solutions developed through a potential competition would benefit both the forest products industry and the environment.

“In 2015, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the USDA had tremendous success in bringing attention to the potential use of wood in tall buildings with the first U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. We believe an award program utilizing an educational institution is an ideal next step to teach and demonstrate to the next generation of decision-makers, engineers, architects, planners and builders the benefits of mass timber,” wrote the Senators in their letter. “Mass timber technology can help colleges and universities across the nation achieve their sustainability goals.  Stronger markets create an incentive for landowners to ensure forest land is managed sustainably to reduce wildfire risk and help maintain a high monetary value for timber.  Further, mass timber use at our nation’s colleges and universities has the additional benefit of supporting wood product markets at the local level.”

Mass Timber development and commercialization were key recommendations in the 2017 outlined Economic Development Assessment Team (EDAT) report, which was originally requested in March 2016 by Senators Collins and King and worked across federal and state agencies, industry sectors, and municipalities to create strategies for job growth and economic development in Maine’s rural communities. Additionally, key provisions of the Timber Innovation Act, which Senators King and Collins cosponsored, were included in the Farm Bill which passed Congress this week. These provisions encourage investment in the manufacturing facilities needed to produce mass timber products domestically, incentivize the construction of buildings with wood, and provide designers and code officials with the research and technical support they need to embrace this new construction technology.

In addition to Senators King and Collins, the letter was signed by Senators James Risch (R-Idaho), Tina Smith (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Shelley Moore Capito (R-W. Va.), Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).

The full letter is available HERE, and text of the letter can be found below:

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The Honorable Sonny Perdue

Secretary

U.S. Department of Agriculture

1400 Independence Ave., S.W.

Washington, DC 20250

Dear Secretary Perdue:

We write today to express our appreciation of the USDA’s efforts to promote innovative wood uses, and to support a mass timber competition for institutions of higher education.  Such a competition will not only provide opportunities for our future decision makers to utilize a remarkable new material, but also help create a stronger and healthier forest products market all while improving the environment. Colleges and universities are also well adept at leveraging seed money with other public and private funds, and could therefore make very efficient use of a federal mass timber competition award.

In 2015, the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the USDA had tremendous success in bringing attention to the potential use of wood in tall buildings with the first U.S. Tall Wood Building Prize Competition. We believe an award program utilizing an educational institution is an ideal next step to teach and demonstrate to the next generation of decision-makers, engineers, architects, planners and builders the benefits of mass timber. 

Mass timber technology can help colleges and universities across the nation achieve their sustainability goals.  Stronger markets create an incentive for landowners to ensure forest land is managed sustainably to reduce wildfire risk and help maintain a high monetary value for timber.  Further, mass timber use at our nation’s colleges and universities has the additional benefit of supporting wood product markets at the local level.

We appreciate the assistance the USDA has provided thus far, and look forward to working with you on making the mass timber higher education competition a success.