Episode Two (Forest Sector): How Can Mass Timber Impact the Housing Shortage?

Insights with Don Mills and David Campbell- An Acadia Broadcasting Podcast

Mass Timber Can Shorten Construction Times Significantly

In this episode of the Insights Podcast , we examine a new initiative under development to build the first mass timber manufacturing plant in Atlantic Canada, led by Patrick Crabbe, the President & CEO of the Mass Timber Company and also the Director of Mass Timber for Bird Construction. Mass timber can be used to replace concrete and steel in the construction of residential and commercial buildings. There are already mass timber buildings being built in the region. The company plans to build a manufacturing facility that will cost nearly $180 million and produce fifty thousand square cubic feet of mass timber, enough to construct more than 3,000 housing units per year once full production capacity is achieved. Mass timber, because it is manufactured off-site, has the advantage of shortening construction time by as much as 30 percent which translates into lower overall construction costs for developers, as well as lowering CO2 emissions by 45 percent. The company is working with two local sawmills, Elmsdale Lumber and Ledwidge Lumber, as their source of wood supply, which will create higher value end products for these sawmills. Construction is expected to start in mid-2024 and be completed in the fall of 2026. This is the second in a new series on the Forest Industry in Atlantic Canada.