Sept. 2, 2022
By Steve Lundeberg, 541-737-4039, [email protected]
WHAT: The U.S. Economic Development Administration has awarded the Oregon Mass Timber Coalition $41.4 million to develop and expand Oregon’s emerging mass timber industry. The award was announced today and addresses three significant issues across Oregon: a worsening housing crisis, increasing threats of wildfires and the need to create good-paying jobs in communities recovering from the pandemic. The award recognizes the state’s leadership in mass timber design, engineering and construction, supported by the TallWood Design Institute’s research and development work; the institute is a collaboration between Oregon State University and the University of Oregon.
The Oregon Mass Timber Coalition is a partnership between the TallWood Design Institute, the Port of Portland, Business Oregon, the Oregon Department of Forestry and the Department of Land Conservation.
A news release issued by the coalition is attached.
WHO: Iain Macdonald, director of the TallWood Design Institute, is available to speak to media at 541-231-9626; his email address is [email protected]. Tom DeLuca, dean of the OSU College of Forestry, has some availability as well; he can be reached at 541-737-1585 or [email protected].
Macdonald and DeLuca can talk about the how the award contributes to forest resilience, helps communities impacted by wildfire, supports rural economies and expands the use of mass timber in construction.
ADDITIONAL CONTENT: Project-related photos can be found at: https://cloud.odf.state.or.us/portal/s/0827510990654337632
George Custer lives in Oakridge with his wife Sayre. George is a former smokejumper from his hometown of Cave Junction, a former captain in the U.S. Marine Corps. and ran a construction company in Southern California. George assumed the volunteer duties as the Editor of the Highway 58 Herald in 2022. He loves riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle, building all things wood, and playing drums on the weekends in his office.
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