UMaine, cross-laminated timber cited in Mainebiz 2016 NEXT profile
Mainebiz profiled Lucas St. Clair, president of the Portland-based Elliotsville Plantation Inc., as part of its 2016 NEXT series on the 10 people changing Maine’s economy for the better. St. Clair said he’s hoping to see the state’s economy diversify, using the millions of acres of trees for applications such as fabric, jet fuel and cross-laminated timber. The University of Maine, for example, is developing cross-laminated timber, the article states. Other places, including Europe and Canada, already are using the timber as a strong wood substitute for steel building frames and flooring, according to the article. Since trees remove carbon dioxide from the air, St. Clair said, using cross-laminated timber can help essentially lock up carbon in the wood, giving new structures a much smaller carbon footprint.