Media Contacts

Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation

Media Relations
250 883-2068

Backgrounders

Information about mass timber and the Mass Timber Action Plan
  • Mass timber is a sustainable building material that is engineered through fastening multiple layers of smaller dimension wood together with glue, dowels or nails.
  • Mass-timber products are solid, structural load-bearing components, such as columns, beams and panels, used to build residential, commercial and industrial buildings.
  • This process can deliver as much as seven times the economic value when compared to milling logs for lumber.
  • Mass timber can match or exceed the structural performance of concrete and steel, while reducing carbon emissions by as much as 45%.
  • Since the components of mass timber are custom manufactured, it can reduce waste and reduce the time it takes to put up a building.

The Mass Timber Action Plan positions B.C. to be a global leader in this high-growth sector, building on increasing domestic and international demand for the sustainable building material. The growing mass timber sector will support more than 4,000 jobs in manufacturing, technology, forestry, design and engineering, and bring new jobs to communities throughout the province.

The Province also incentivizes mass-timber sector growth and development through the Mass Timber Demonstration Program, which provides funding for research and demonstration projects. Recently introduced changes to the building code will help expand the use of mass timber for smaller buildings, so that housing, schools and commercial structures can be built faster.