D.R. Johnson Lumber Co. of Riddle, Oregon, became the first company in the USA certified to make cross-laminated timber, or CLT, Oregon Gov. Kate Brown announced in Portland on Sept. 10, 2015. Until then, CLT had been produced in Europe and Canada.
What CLT is
CLT panels are made by gluing layers of lumber at right angles to one another. Supporters say the panels are strong enough to replace steel or concrete in some buildings, including taller ones.
The certification
D.R. Johnson’s panels were tested and certified by APA – The Engineered Wood Association under the ANSI/APA PRG 320 standard, which clears them for use in building construction. The family-owned company, founded in 1951, already made glued-laminated beams. Capital Press reported that it was making panels up to 24 feet long and planned longer ones as new equipment came online.
“We are now ready to manufacture high quality mass timber components – both CLT panels and glu-lam beams,” company president Valerie Johnson said.
State support
Brown announced $350,000 to help make Oregon a center for CLT, The Oregonian reported. The money included a grant from Oregon BEST and a forgivable loan. State officials hoped the product would bring new wood products jobs to rural areas hurt by the decline of logging and mill work. D.R. Johnson panels were slated for projects in Portland’s Pearl District and at Western Oregon University.
Source & credit
Sources: The Oregonian/OregonLive: “Oregon lumber mill becomes first in U.S. certified to produce new wood building material”, by Molly Harbarger, Sept. 10, 2015; Capital Press: “Oregon mill is first certified to make cross-laminated timber”, by Eric Mortenson, Sept. 11, 2015.