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Oregon BEST and several of its partners will use a $120,000 grant from the U.S Economic Development Administration to study whether cross-laminated timber has the potential to provide a new source of income for rural Oregon and Southwest Washington communities struggling to survive in the face of dwindling timber revenues.

D.R. Johnson, a mill based in Riddle, already has tapped money from Oregon BEST along with research from Oregon State University to become the first company in the country to begin producing certified CLT.

The results of the study are expected to help officials in Oregon and Washington determine next steps to help the two states establish themselves as leaders in the emerging CLT industry. Data to be gathered will include information about the type and amount of training that might be needed to build a workforce well-versed in the production and manufacture of CLT, the supply of natural resources available, regulatory and building code changes that might be needed to encourage the use of CLT, and manufacturing capacity.

Joining Oregon BEST in conducting the study will be Business Oregon, Oregon State University, Washington State University and the Oregon Manufacturing Extension Partnership. In addition to the grant money, $80,000 worth of in-kind services will be used to conduct the study, according to a press release issued by Oregon BEST.