Oregon pins hopes on mass timber to boost housing, jobs

By CLAIRE RUSH
Associated Press/Report for America

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — In Oregon, mass timber is increasingly being viewed as a construction material that could help the state build more affordable homes and revive rural logging towns. Mass timber is made from wood products that are fastened together to make large panels or beams. A new prototype of a affordable mass timber housing unit was unveiled at the Port of Portland on Friday. The Oregon Mass Timber Coalition aims to open a factory at the port that could mass produce homes. The coalition says the increase in production would help alleviate the state’s housing shortage. Some environmental groups say the material could lead to deforestation.