John Redfield and his son from D.R. Johnson Lumber Co., one of two U.S. timber mills are making a new wood technology. This new product is the new buzz for the construction industry. The new wood technology is called as Cross-Laminated timber, or CLT. Cross-laminated timber (CLT) is a wood panel typically consisting of three, five, or seven layers of dimension lumber-oriented at right angles to one another.
The CLT has the potential to prefabricate the whole project. Due to its efficient installation process, this saves precious time and money on-site. It consists of lighter panels that are less energy-intensive than concrete and steel. There is a counter tension built into the panels that make them strong enough to build the tallest skyscrapers.
Redfield, D.R. Johnson’s chief operating officer said, “We believe that two to five years out, down the road, we could be seeing this grow from just 20 percent of our business to potentially 60 percent of our business. We’re seeing some major growth factors.”
According to engineers, it could infuse struggling forest communities like Riddle with new economic growth. It reduces the carbon footprint of urban construction.
This mass timber does not catch fire easily. It mimics as concrete. The CLT is not conventional so it is very hard to light, and once it lit, it wants to put itself out. It has excellent potential to provide excellent fire resistance. Current conventional wood that goes to waste used in the middle layers of a CLT panel.
Engineers said, “It could bring sawmills back online while improving forest health through thinning dense stands and making use of low-value wood and local tree species. Trees as small as 5 inches in diameter at the top and those damaged by pests and wildfire are prime candidates.“