Cross laminated timber (CLT) future potential in Ontario compared with BC and Quebec

Abstract

Cross Laminated Timber is a relatively new timber product in Canada with a bright future The product is an advancement that is allowing the industry to create products for larger structures and more specifically taller structures as building codes allow for taller wood structures in the three provinces being studied. This paper mainly focuses on whether CLT will progress in Ontario compared with how it has in British Columbia and Quebec. The analyze will look at the market, technological process, species used in CLT, and case studies of CLT in BC and Quebec to predict if Ontario has the opportunity to develop its own CLT production facilities. With global increases in engineered wood products there is opportunities for Ontario’s wood industry to become a producer of CLT products. The benefit of innovations such as CLT are many, such as using a renewable resource to replace non-renewable resources in construction, sequestering large amounts of carbon in wood products and wood products are considered a carbon neutral product.