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As I've been working on remodeling my home over the past few years I have experienced price hikes in lumber as I've never seen before. There was a time when I could purchase 2x4s for anywhere from $1.99 up to $4 depending on the quality of the 2x4. However, since the pandemic and the gasoline prices soaring 2x4s will now cost you anywhere from $8 and up.

Amazingly enough, the Texas Forestry Association and Texas A&M have recently shared a secret about the Mass Timber industry. This is sure to put a dent in those high prices it's called Cross-Laminated Timber or CLT for short. The Texas Forestry Association's Executive Director Rob Hughes says "with the rising popularity of this CLT building material it's promising to be a real game changer in the construction industry."

Unlike particle board or plywood, Cross-Laminated Timber is constructed very differently in the fact that it is put together more like a Swiss army knife and is as the name says cross-laminated timber. Thus making it some of the strongest wood available today. Some experts that have been studying CLT at the Texas A&M Forest Service Association firmly believe that it is as strong as steel or concrete.

The Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Analytics Department Head Dr. Aaron Stottlemyer says “Cross-laminated timber can be used in all of the major structural elements of a building,” Dr. Stottlemyer went on to say “And mass timber buildings are lighter than concrete or steel buildings, so the foundation doesn’t have to be as extensive or expensive.” Besides, testing also demonstrated that mass timber buildings can withstand the impact of a tornado and harsh wind conditions. Source: Texas A&M Forest Service Forest Analytics Department

The best part of all of this is the fact that we Texans have over 12 million acres of forest and the land is about 90% privately owned. Most of those landowners are harvesting and replanting said trees. Additionally, Texas has the eight fastest-growing cities in America which will continue to give Texas a robust economy.

Keep in mind that Mass timber is a family of engineered wood products that are solid layers of wood pressed and bonded together. The finished product is stronger than steel and lighter than concrete and looks fabulous as you see in the above photo.

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