PORTLAND PRESS HERALD • July 17, 2020
An affordable housing project under construction in Portland is making good use of cross-laminated lumber, a building material that is growing in popularity and holds great potential for Maine’s wood products industry. Unfortunately, it had to come all the way from Montana. Maine has the trees necessary to make cross-laminated lumber, and it has a workforce that knows how to turn raw timber into world-class products. But as of yet, no one has been able to take advantage. Having a plant close by would make contractors, always reluctant to change their ways, more likely to adopt the new technology, cutting down on costs and carbon emissions.