Oct 31, 2014. /Lesprom Network/. Oregon BEST announced a new round of commercialization funding that will team southern Oregon-based DR Johnson Lumber Co. with Oregon State University researchers to determine how a new engineered building material made from lumber might catapult Oregon wood products to the forefront of construction innovation and technology.

Production of cross laminated timber, or CLT, has taken off in Europe in the recent years, but only two plants produce structural grade CLT in North America, both located in Canada. CLT panels, which can be up to 10 feet wide by 60 feet long and up to 18 inches thick, are made by bonding together perpendicular layers of dimensional lumber, such as 2-by-4s, 2-by-6s or other dimensions, to create massive panels that can be erected and used for walls, floors structures and roofs. In taller buildings, CLT becomes a cost-effective replacement for steel or concrete, and using it in construction sequesters carbon.

“This is not merely a new engineered composite panel product,” said Lech Muszynski, a professor in the OSU Dept. of Wood Science and Engineering. “It's an entirely new building technology that is revolutionizing the use of timber in construction and dramatically cutting the overall time for construction projects.” Oregon BEST funded the project in part because of the potential for job creation in the Pacific Northwest.

The funding will enable Riddle Laminators, the glue-laminate operation of DR Johnson, to collaborate with a research team of OSU faculty and students to construct a pilot manufacturing line for CLT at its facility and to test the CLT produced at the plant.

By working with OSU and the American Plywood Association, DR Johnson will manufacture and test CLT panels in order to obtain independent certification. "That third-party certification is absolutely essential in order for us to go to market with this product," she said.

DR Johnson is the first company in the country to set up initial production of structural grade CLT panels, Johnson said, but the project is part of a larger statewide effort involving many groups and nonprofits to open up a broader market for CLT.

The $150,000 in commercialization funding from Oregon BEST will help support a research team at OSU, led by Muszynski.

Oregon BEST is the nexus for clean technology innovation, building capability, convening collaborations, and accelerating solutions to environmental challenges that deliver prosperity in all corners of Oregon.

Founded in 1951, the DR Johnson production facility in Riddle, Oregon, specializes in the manufacture of 3" & 6" Douglas Fir.