SLB Programs Advanced Interest in Wood and Generated 446 Million Board Feet of Incremental Demand in Q3 2022

The SLB recently published its 2022 Q3 newsletter, highlighting the SLB’s efforts to advance market share for softwood lumber. The SLB, in partnership with its funded programs—the American Wood Council (AWC), Think Wood, and WoodWorks—has made significant gains in the market, increased impact, and maximized its return on investment. Collaboration between the SLB, its funded programs, and partners around codes, communication, and conversions continue to expand softwood lumber’s market share efficiently and effectively.

Key highlights of Q3 include:

• 446 million board feet of incremental demand was generated.
• The carbon benefit for Q3 reported projects was 1.2 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
• Think Wood and WoodWorks have collaborated to convert 19 new projects as of Q3. There are 174 active projects in the Think Wood/WoodWorks pipeline.
• WoodWorks and the AWC helped the city of Baltimore agree to allow tall mass timber projects per the 2021 IBC and in advance of updating their code, opening the door for new project conversions to wood.
• The AWC delivered an important win for the industry in successfully advancing a 2024 I-Code change to allow for 100% exposed mass timber ceilings in Type IV-B construction, up from 20%, which can save nearly $3 million in construction costs per building.
• Think Wood launched a new Sustainable Building Resources library on its website to continue to inform market opportunities for wood around the topics of sustainability and carbon.

Additionally, FEA’s new 2023 softwood lumber market forecast and an overview of the new tall wood exhibit to build awareness on the future of wood are highlighted in the newsletter. Thank you for your continued support of the SLB and our programs and initiatives. We always welcome industry feedback, which can be sent to info@softwoodlumberboard.org. We wish you a happy and healthy holiday season and look forward to continuing to build on our success in 2023.