American Wood Council (AWC) President and CEO Jackson Morrill issued a statement following the House Armed Service Committee’s markup of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which included language to establish a pilot program to evaluate the effects of using mass timber products in Department of Defense military construction projects.

“The mass timber pilot program will not only help the Department of Defense address the military’s housing needs but will do so utilizing a low-carbon building solution available today. Increasing the use of wood in construction to the maximum amount in the U.S. would be the equivalent of taking 4.4 million cars off of the road indefinitely, contributing significantly to national 2030 carbon reduction goals.

“Mass timber construction also speeds up construction time, ultimately saving money and getting service members into housing more quickly. The Department of Defense saw a 37% reduction in schedule duration and a 31% increase in expected energy performance in its first mass timber construction project.

“AWC thanks Chairman Smith, Ranking Member Rogers and the Committee for helping pioneer better housing for our service members. We encourage the House to quickly pass NDAA and, in so doing, address the Department-wide backlog of housing projects utilizing innovative wood materials.”

About

The American Wood Council (AWC) is the voice of North American wood products manufacturing, an industry that provides over 450,000 men and women in the United States with family-wage jobs. AWC represents 86 percent of the structural wood products industry, and members make products that are essential to everyday life from a renewable resource that absorbs and sequesters carbon. Staff experts develop state-of-the-art engineering data, technology, and standards for wood products to assure their safe and efficient design, as well as provide information on wood design, green building, and environmental regulations. AWC also advocates for balanced government policies that affect wood products.

awc.org

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