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A Southern Oregon mill is slated to become the first U.S. manufacturer of an innovative wood product suitable for use in structures ranging from houses to high-rises.

Riddle-based DR Johnson Lumber Co. is partnering with Oregon State University researchers to pilot the commercial manufacture of structural-grade (CLT) with the support of grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Oregon BEST.

CLT panels are manufactured with lumber glued in opposite directions to form a solid slab for walls, floors or ceilings. The product has gained popularity in Europe and Canada over the past 20 years as a sustainable building material. But CLT is still relatively unused in the U.S. despite federal promotion of its benefits and growing interest from the design and build industries.

The emergence of a domestic manufacturer could catalyze greater use in Oregon and across the country because currently all CLT must be imported either from Canada or Europe, said Ken Vaughn, director of commercialization programs at Oregon BEST. The nonprofit provides money for clean technology innovation.

鈥淭he architects love it, but they can’t spec it in if there are no suppliers,鈥� Vaughn said.

In Oregon, the product has attracted attention from architects and engineers as an environmentally friendly alternative to steel and concrete steel for high-rises.

The state’s long history as a timber producer and its established wood products industry makes it poised to capitalize on CLT production, said Lech Muszynski, an associate professor with OSU‘s Wood Science & Engineering Department. Oregon mills may eventually have a leg up over European manufacturers who are producing CLT using higher-priced timber, he said.

鈥淭he (Oregon) market is much more ready for innovations in wood,鈥� he said. 鈥淭here is a recognizable perspective for this industry booming here.鈥�

A strong desire among design professionals in Oregon and the Pacific Northwest to use locally produced CLT and the support of OSU research helped convince DR Johnson President Valerie Johnson to pilot its manufacture. The company will invest in use of an existing mill for manufacturing glue-laminate wood products, Riddle Laminators, to produce CLT with the help of a $150,000 Oregon BEST grant.

鈥淚t doesn’t feel like a big leap for us,鈥� Johnson said. 鈥淥ur architects, especially in our region, in the Northwest, don’t want to import from Europe. They don’t want to truck in panels from Western Canada. That has come through very, very clear. We as a company have become convinced that there is a market.鈥�

When DR Johnson officials last week announced during the 2014 Oregon Wood Solutions Fair in Portland the company’s plan to manufacture CLT, they were flooded with inquiries, Johnson said. Company officials hope to be ready to mass-produce CLT panels in 2016, but the effort could be fast-tracked to supply several projects next year, she said.

鈥淭he response at our exhibit was overwhelming,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e were talking nonstop.鈥�

One project that could use DR Johnson-produced CLT is the new Western Oregon University College of Education building. The project is designated as a demonstration project under Gov. John Kitzhaber‘s ; it calls for state agencies to identify nonresidential capital construction projects that can showcase wood products in high-performance buildings.

Mahlum Architects‘ design team had initially considered using CLT in the building, but determined it would be too expensive, project architect Kim Olson said. Acquiring the product domestically through DR Johnson could make it feasible, she said.

With an Oregon-based manufacturer, CLT is likely to appear in more projects, Olson said.

鈥淗aving it 鈥� sourced here in Oregon is a huge deal,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 think it’s going to propel it into this market.鈥�

The DR Johnson operation also will help projects gain points in green building certifications for using locally sourced building materials, Equilibrium Engineers associate JoMarie Farrell said. The Lake Oswego-based structural engineering firm is working on the Western Oregon University project and engineered the only CLT project approved in Portland 鈥� a small, single-story Oregon Zoo structure designed by SRG Partnership.

Gaining city approval for that 2,000-square-foot building with CLT in the roof required extra calculations for load capacity. Recent updates to Oregon’s structural codes with specifications for CLT will make it easier for building officials to sign off on projects that use the product, Farrell said.

An Oregon CLT manufacturer will also be advantageous for projects under construction, Farrell said.

鈥淚f you require the field fixes it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to get the guys down from Canada,鈥� she said. 鈥淛ust knowing that there is someone in Oregon a few hours away is huge.鈥�

That proximity also will help the state’s design and build industry professionals as they experiment with the product, Vaughn said.

鈥淭he next key step will be finding pilot construction projects,鈥� he said. 鈥淭his will be a new product. It will be new for architects, new for engineers, new for general contractors.鈥�

Although there will be an initial learning curve, contractors will soon find that the prefabricated CLT panels streamline the construction process, Vaughn said.

鈥淥nce they get the hang of it, they’re going to find it’s a lot faster, efficient way to build buildings,鈥� he said.