International Mass Timber Conference Kicks off in Portland, Oregon
Washington, D.C. – Oregon’s U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley and Idaho’s U.S. Senator James Risch today launched a renewed bipartisan effort to promote the use of mass timber in federal building projects and military construction.
The bipartisan Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act—which is cosponsored by Oregon’s U.S. Senator Ron Wyden and Idaho’s U.S. Senator Mike Crapo—would incentivize the use of mass timber building materials by providing a preference in federal building contracts for mass timber products, giving mass timber companies the ability to compete for federal construction, renovation, or acquisition of public buildings and for military construction. The bill’s reintroduction coincides with the start of the International Mass Timber Conference—the largest gathering of mass timber experts in the world—in Portland this week.
“Mass timber creates jobs in rural and urban communities, reduces wildfire risk, increases forest resiliency, and helps us shrink our carbon footprint,” said Merkley. “This expanding industry presents a huge opportunity for Oregon, and we must do all we can to harness its power for our economy and environment. By using mass timber in federal projects, our bipartisan effort around this critical industry will help tackle our nation’s biggest challenges while creating good-paying jobs in Oregon and across the Pacific Northwest.”
“As a trained forester, I understand how important the timber industry is to Idaho communities, wildfire risk reduction, and forest management,” said Risch. “The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act is commonsense legislation to benefit Idaho’s forests, create jobs, and increase economic growth.”
“Mass timber has huge potential to generate jobs in Oregon, reduce carbon emissions, and build an innovative approach to combat the shortage of housing in Oregon and nationwide,” said Wyden. “This fresh use for timber also directly addresses the immediate threat of wildfires caused by the climate crisis. Simply put, the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act adds up to a huge win for our state that helps protect Oregonians and boosts our timber economy.”
“Idaho’s timber industry already provides a wealth of benefits in its resourcefulness across a number of critical projects in our state,” said Crapo. “Boosting demand for Idaho timber in the construction of federal buildings will harness the incredible work already done in our forests, and create new opportunities for Idaho companies, workers and products.”
The bipartisan bill creates a two-tier contracting preference for mass timber and other innovative wood projects. The first-tier preference applies to mass timber that is made within the U.S. and responsibly sourced from state, federal, private, and Tribal forestlands. The optional second tier applies to mass timber products that are sourced from restoration practices, fire mitigation projects, and/or underserved forest owners. Additionally, this bill contains a reporting requirement for a whole building lifecycle assessment. The results of this assessment will help provide additional evidence of the carbon sequestration benefits of mass timber buildings.
The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act is endorsed by the American Wood Council, Sustainable Northwest, Forest Landowners Association, National Alliance of Forest Owners (NAFO), Weyerhaeuser, Freres Engineered Wood, Oregon Forest Industries Council, Composite Recycling Technology Center (CRTC), Oregon iSector, Washington Mass Timber Accelerator, Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub, American Forest Resource Council, and Oregon Department of Forestry.
“Mass timber and wood construction presents a real opportunity to grow our domestic manufacturing and sustain our rural communities in the process. The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act is an important first step in expanding new markets for wood products, ensuring that the nation’s single biggest developer – the federal government – can help invest in this emerging technology. This is a win-win proposal: not only would the bill expand markets and support domestic manufacturing; it would also support active forest management, help reduce wildfire risk and create jobs in forestry, manufacturing and construction. We applaud Senators Merkley and Risch for their bipartisan leadership and support for forestry communities nationwide,” said Jackson Morrill, President and CEO of the American Wood Council.
“Sustainable Northwest commends Senator Merkley and Senator Risch for introduction of the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act. This practical legislation will spur use of innovative wood products in public buildings, support American manufacturing, and build critical markets for restoration of our nation’s forests,” said Dylan Kruse, President of Sustainable Northwest.
“Private forest landowners, many from multi-generational family businesses, are the backbone of forest health in the U.S. But rising natural disasters and limited recovery tools threaten their ability to keep forests healthy and resilient. Expanding market access is critical to their success, and we thank Senator Merkley and Senator Risch for their leadership on the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act of 2025. By replacing carbon-intensive materials with American-grown timber, this policy strengthens our wood products supply chain, supports rural economies, and ensures the future of our working forests,” said Scott Jones, CEO of the Forest Landowners Association.
“We commend Senators Merkley and Risch for re-introducing the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act. Wood is an abundant, renewable, and sustainable building material. When we build with American-grown wood, we bolster our nation’s private working forests and the rural communities that depend on them. As global leaders in modern, sustainable forest management, U.S. forest owners are already growing the wood needed to expand mass timber construction. Because of the strong relationship between forest products markets and sustainable forest management, today we have 60% more wood in our forests than we had in the 1950s. This positions mass timber construction to deliver wins for the economies of rural communities, our nation’s water quality, wildlife, and more. We look forward to working with the Senators as well as their colleagues in the Senate and House of Representatives to advance this important legislation,” said Dave Tenny, President and CEO of NAFO.
“Wood products are the most sustainable, versatile and cost-effective building material we have. Building more with wood decreases the country’s dependence on materials that have a much higher environmental impact and rely on large amounts of fossil fuels in their production. Additionally, wood products manufacturing facilities are critical drivers of rural economies, and increased wood products demand and usage will bolster and continue to provide jobs in these communities. Mass timber has emerged as a transformative way to use wood in larger and taller buildings and grow the market for wood construction and wood buildings. The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act recognizes the importance of sustainably managed wood as a building material in the construction of federal buildings, and we commend Senator Merkley and Senator Risch for introducing this important piece of legislation,” said Kristen Sawin, Vice President of Corporate Affairs at Weyerhaeuser.
“The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act seeks to foster innovative wood products development by encouraging the use of sustainable, renewable, and domestically supplied wood products for Federal projects. Freres Engineered Wood wholeheartedly supports this act for encouraging innovation inbuilding design and construction, as well as the social benefits of resilient forests, healthy habitats, and prosperous rural communities, from sustainable forest management across our Federal lands,” said Tyler Freres, Vice President at Freres Engineered Wood.
“The Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act is not just legislation; it is a commitment to building a sustainable future. By embracing mass timber, we are investing in our planet, expanding economic opportunities, and setting a standard for environmentally responsible construction. This legislation will not only allow us to create structures that stand tall but it will foster a legacy of stewardship for generations to come,” said David Walter, CEO of the CRTC Building Innovation Center.
“The private, public and civic sectors are coming together to support Mass Timber as never before in Oregon and Washington. This bill will find support for its preferences and lifecycle assessment provisions from our Mass Timber partnerships,” said Greg Wolf, Executive Director of Oregon iSector.
“The Washington Mass Timber Accelerator, a nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating sustainable and equitable adoption of mass timber in construction in Washington and nationally, is pleased to support the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act. The State of Washington is poised to supply high-quality mass timber products to public buildings across the United States, sourced from federal forest restoration projects and forests cared for and managed by Tribal Nations – contributing to wildfire risk reduction and rural community economic development. These mass timber buildings can be built with labor standards and apprenticeship opportunities, and will endure long into the future, and serve as a celebration and reminder of our commitment to people and planet,” said Erica Spiritos, Director at the Washington Mass Timber Accelerator.
“The Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub enthusiastically welcomes and strongly endorses the introduction of the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act bill, which will help the United States restore well-paying jobs to rural communities, tackle the urgent challenges of wildfire risk and housing supply, and contribute to national security through a reduced reliance on foreign-sourced steel,” said Iain Macdonald, Director at the Pacific Northwest Mass Timber Tech Hub.
Full text of the Mass Timber Federal Buildings Act can be found by clicking here.
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