Mass timber plant breaks ground north of Albany
The plant — which will itself be built from mass timber — is billed as one of the largest mass timber manufacturing facilities in the United States.
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek and several other elected leaders gathered Thursday to mark the groundbreaking of a new  manufacturing facility in Millersburg, north of Albany, described as one of the largest and most advanced plants of its kind in the United States.
The 190,000-square-foot facility is a joint venture from Portland-based  and its parent company, California-based Swinerton, and will itself be constructed from mass timber manufactured at other Timberlab plants in Oregon.
The new plant will manufacture cross-laminated timber, which is a kind of mass timber in which layers of wood are stacked at right angles and joined with adhesives to make panels for construction, often touted as a more sustainable alternative to steel, concrete or conventional lumber.
“It started in Oregon 10 years ago, the first manufacturing domestically was in Oregon,” said Timberlab president Chris Evans. “And we want to continue with that legacy.”
Mass timber construction is still a relatively niche industry, but it’s expected to grow exponentially, from about 750 projects this year to about 5,000 a decade from now, according to a news release from Kotek’s office.
Speaking at the event, Kotek described that facility as important to maintain Oregon’s position at the forefront of the mass timber industry, pointing to the state’s existing manufacturing facilities and flagship mass timber projects like the  at Portland International Airport.
“We have been leading the way in our country around mass timber. To have this type of facility coming in is truly an amazing next step,” Kotek said.
