Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 9

85 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 9 laminated timber (glulam), and mass plywood are other types of mass timber. Mass timber growing in popularity According to WoodWorks, as of June 2021, 1,169 mass timber projects had been constructed or were in design in all 50 states, in the multi- family, commercial, or institutional categories. This total includes modern mass timber and post-and-beam structures built since 2013. WoodWorks provides education and free technical support related to the design, engineering, and construction of commercial and multi-family wood buildings in the U.S. Certified wood increases the sustainability benefits of mass timber Using wood certified to the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI) increases environmental benefits of mass timber, because the forest where the wood was sourced was managed to address critical global sustainability issues such as climate change. SmartLam and Structurlam, both SFI-certified mass timber manufacturers, understand the value of using SFI-certified wood because it provides supply chain assurance, mitigates risk, and aligns with the values these companies associate with sustainable forest management. SFI is also implementing a new climate-smart forestry objective that will require SFI-certified organizations to ensure forest management activities address climate change adaptation and mitigation measures. The construction sector is responsible for 40% of global CO2 emissions and a host of other environmental impacts, according to Bauhaus der Erde, a German non-profit organization with the objective to transform the built environment. Certified wood and mass timber products are powerful tools to help mitigate climate change. Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere as they grow, sequestering and storing carbon while producing oxygen – this reduces greenhouse THE SUSTA INABLE FORESTRY INI T I AT I VE