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SmartLam looks to grow CLT production in Montana, expand to Northeast, Southeast

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SmartLam is on the cusp of a major expansion in western Montana’s Flathead Valley, and beyond. Photo courtesy SmartLam.

COLUMBIA FALLS, Montana – SmartLam, the nation’s first commercial production facility for cross-laminated timber, is locked in a dead heat with DR Johnson for pole position in the rapidly expanding pack of CLT manufacturers.

A major expansion is on the horizon, quadrupling production capacity at SmartLam’s Montana plant. And new plants in the U.S. Southeast and Northeast are next.

“Interest in CLT has just grown exponentially, not only in the quantity of projects but also the quality,” said Casey Malmquist, SmartLam president and co-owner. “We’re seeing high numbers of larger projects utilizing CLT. This new plant will allow us to better serve this fast-growing market.”

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Mass timber gets the nod for University of Idaho’s new basketball arena

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The new basketball arena will be built directly north of Idaho’s existing Kibbie Dome. Artist’s rending: Opsis Architecture.

The momentum for mass timber continues to gain strength and speed, with last week’s announcement that the University of Idaho will build its new $30 million basketball arena from wood.

Why? Because Idaho wants, and needs, to stand out from its recruiting season competitors – and the new basketball arena might do the trick.

“It ties in with our land grant mission. It ties in with the timber industry. It ties in with our need for a facility. This is really resonating with people,” UI Athletic Director Rob Spear told the Spokesman-Review’s Peter Harriman. [Read more…]

Vaagen Timbers jump-starts Washington’s interest in mass timber with new plant

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Russ Vaagen, a fourth-generation lumberman in northeastern Washington and vice president of Vaagen Brothers Lumber Co., pioneered the use of small-diameter timber in wood products manufacturing two decades ago.

Russ Vaagen is a third-generation lumberman and entrepreneur. (theforestblog.com)

Now he’s building the state of Washington’s first mass-timber production plant.

He announced the formation of Vaagen Timbers at this year’s International Mass Timber Conference in Portland. By this time next year, the Colville plant will be churning out cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated beams – the two primary mass timber building materials.

“This is the revitalization of the timber industry,” Vaagen said. “Mass timber allows us to do the right thing at the right time. It’s not a political deal at all. It’s a mix of science and social science.”

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Framework: Portland’s wooden skyscraper secures building permits

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The nation’s first wooden skyscraper will break ground this fall in Portland, Oregon, after an historic series of state and local building permits were issued this week.

At 148 feet, or 11 stories, Framework will be the nation’s first high-rise building made of wood. It will provide offices for Albina Community Bank and its parent, Beneficial State Bank, as well as retail outlets and five floors of subsidized housing in Portland’s Pearl District. [Read more…]

From an historic mercantile comes a story of wood’s enduring power

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An estimated 200,000 board feet of historic and rare lumber was pulled from the deconstruction of the historic Missoula (Montana) Mercantile. Photo: Martin Kidston/Missoula Current

A rare and historic event in my hometown provided an unexpected lesson this week in the strength and soulfulness of wood.

For months now, crews have worked to deconstruct the Missoula Mercantile, one of the oldest buildings in this western Montana town, and as such, one made with locally grown and milled wood.

In fact, workers from Home ReSource pulled 200,000 board feet of lumber from the downtown icon – all of it from western Montana’s historic old-growth ponderosa pine forests. [Read more…]