Bipartisan legislation recently introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would provide incentives for the use of mass timber building materials in federal contracting.
The bill was co-introduced by U.S. Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA).
Mass timber is a building material manufactured by compressing and bonding wood panels, beams and columns into large, structurally strong components capable of constructing mid-to high-rise buildings.
The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act would create a two-tier contracting preference for mass timber and other innovative wood projects. This would give timber and other forest products companies the ability to compete for military construction or for the construction, renovation or acquisition of public buildings.
The first-tier would apply to mass timber that is made in the United States and responsibly sourced from state, federal, private, and tribal forestlands. The optional second tier would apply to mass timber products that are sourced from restoration practices, fire mitigation projects and forest owners.
The bill contains a reporting requirement for a whole building lifecycle assessment that would be used to help provide additional evidence of the environmental benefits of the use of timber and forest products in buildings.
The bill has the support of the Allegheny Hardwood Utilization Group, the American Forest Resource Council, the Forest Landowners Association, the Pennsylvania Forest Products Association, and the National Alliance of Forest Owners.