Ethan Martin is in the business of myth busting. As a licensed structural engineer and regional director for WoodWorks in the U.S., Martin educates architects and engineers about the use of wood as a replacement for concrete and steel. "I show people step by step how to build wood buildings," he said.

He also explains why wood buildings are safer in a fire event: "Have you ever tried to start a camp fire with a large log? No. We know it won`t light. It`s the same idea for mass timber." At the 2018 Timber Processing and Energy Expo (TP&EE) in Portland, Ore. Last week, Martin was there to educate an audience of lumber producers, who have heard time and again over the past several years that mass timber is the future of the forest products industry.

But that doesn`t mean it is in competition with dimension lumber mills. "The whole concept of CLT [cross-laminated timber] was to compete against concrete. It`s not competing against other lumber," Martin told the audience of about 50 during a day of sessions on mass timber.

The market for stick frame residential buildings likely won`t change in North America. CLT, glulam and other engineered wood products are solutions for the commercial construction industry in place of concrete and steel, Martin explained.


Source: https://www.woodbusiness.ca