NYT features cross-laminated timber research at UMaine
The New York Times featured University of Maine research into cross-laminated timber. Liam O’Brien, a UMaine graduate student, spoke with the Times about an effort by him and his colleagues to develop a cross-laminated timber panel insulated with wood fiber. “It is a material that should take off in the U.S. as long as we can convince people,” O’Brien said about cross-laminated timber panels. “Building sciences can play a large role in how we respond to climate change.” Stephen Shaler, a professor of sustainable materials and technology in the UMaine School of Forest Resources, spoke to the Times about the assistance researchers at the university’s Maine Mass Timber Commercialization Center provide to companies hoping to manufacture cross-laminated timber at a commercial scale. “What we’re trying to do is reduce any technical barriers or questions that a company might have before setting up a manufacturing operation here,” he said.