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Framing the Debate on Wood Construction

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3 min read

Regular readers of this column know I’m a native of Maine, the “Pine Tree State.” As the nickname implies, it’s a place that has more forests than urban and suburban areas. All those trees have helped power Maine’s economic engine in the form of paper, logging and lumber mills. And remember that shortage of swabs for COVID-19 tests last year? Yep, lots of those wooden sticks with a cotton ball on the tip are manufactured in Maine.

Growing up in the 1970s and ‘80s, there wasn’t a lot of talk about sustainable forestry. Logging was part of life. We all knew someone who worked in a mill, or took a snowmobile onto old logging roads in the winter. But the value of conservation and sustainability to most Americans has grown over the past couple of decades, and we’re thinking more about the health of our planet than just costs and efficiency.

Forestry is on the front of people’s minds in just about every sector of affordable housing these days, as the costs of lumber have soared. Prices already were trending upward due to several factors, and the pandemic has only accelerated price increases as supplies are disrupted or scooped up quickly.

This is our construction issue, and the use of wood features prominently in a number of the articles this month. Writer Mark Fogarty digs into the skyrocketing costs, and how companies are working to hedge those rising costs with advance planning, changes in delivery times and even looking at some alternative materials.

Also in this issue, Scott Beyer takes a look at the popularity of wood-frame construction. He notes that wood is appealing from an environmental perspective, because trees are natural carbon sinks and use of wood from sustainably managed forests can be one factor not only in reducing emissions but sequestering carbon. The wood-frame building that got him thinking about it is the future headquarters of Apex Clean Energy in Charlottesville, VA. Seems appropriate, as a recent study by the policy group Chatham House estimates that cement accounted for eight percent of global carbon dioxide emissions in 2018, far more than the 2.4 percent attributed to jet fuel.

I’m also fascinated by Beyer’s mention of a planned tower in Tokyo that will reach 70 stories and framed with timber and engineered wood products. Sumitomo Forestry Co. is planning the 1,148-foot tower for 2041, the company’s 350th anniversary. Whether or not Sumitomo gets it done may remain to be seen, but to even think about a wood-frame skyscraper in this modern age is remarkable.

It’s clear that wood-frame construction is here to stay, particularly in the multifamily sector. That’s why NH&RA has joined other industry groups to urge the U.S. Department of Commerce to investigate pricing trends, as NH&RA President Thom Amdur notes in his column this month. NH&RA and our friends will continue to apply pressure to Congress and the administration to set trade policies that don’t inflate prices even further.

Paul Connolly
Executive Editor

Tax Credit Advisor welcomes reader comments. Contact the executive editor at [email protected].