Auburn University engineers are working with the U.S. Air Force to redesign deployable military housing using mass timber, with the goal of creating temporary barracks-style structures that can be assembled faster and perform better in cold-weather environments.

Led by Auburn Engineering, the project combines structural design, materials testing and prototype development with architecture and building science expertise from Auburn’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction. Battelle is partnering with the Air Force to build prototypes.

David Roueche, the Gottlieb Associate Professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering says the Air Force needs temporary housing that can be transported, assembled and occupied quickly. Mass timber gives the team a way to meet that need by shifting more work into prefabrication, reducing on-site assembly time and improving thermal performance for cold-weather deployments.

Existing light wood-frame versions can require four or five people working eight- to 10-hour days over four or five days to build one structure—roughly 160 to 200 person-hours, Roueche says.

One of the central engineering challenges is finding the right balance between strength, efficiency and deployability. The structures must be durable enough for demanding environments without being overbuilt or difficult to transport.

That has required researchers to look beyond simply replacing conventional framing with mass timber. Standard cross-laminated timber (CLT) may be stronger and thicker than needed for this type of deployable structure, Roueche adds.

“Standard CLT is almost overkill for this application,” Roueche says. “It provides more strength than we need, so part of the challenge is figuring out how to use mass timber more efficiently.”

The team is evaluating designs intended to improve structural performance while also protecting insulation inside the assembly, an important consideration for cold-weather use. Testing in Auburn’s Advanced Structural Engineering Laboratory will help researchers verify the strength, stiffness and overall behavior of those designs.

According to Jake Elbrecht, assistant research professor in the McWhorter School of Building Science, a unique challenge in designing and constructing temporary housing is what happens at its end-of-life: “Air Force operations demand flexibility, and fixed housing impedes future redeployment. Designing temporary housing for disassembly and reuse accelerates redeployment and reduces long-term cost. Investigating structural performance, thermal performance and component reuse together reveals how these priorities compete and are weighed against one another in design decisions.”

The National Hardwood Lumber Assn. (NHLA) is applauding a U.S. International Trade Commission ruling that clears the way for new trade duties on hardwood and decorative plywood imported from China, Indonesia and Vietnam. On August 19, the USITC issued affirmative final injury determinations covering hardwood and decorative plywood from the three countries. The decision follows U.S. Department of Commerce findings that the products are being sold in the U.S. at less than fair value and are benefiting from government subsidies. As a result of the Commission’s decision, Commerce will issue antidumping and countervailing duty orders covering the affected imports.

In response to the determination, NHLA Executive Director Dallin Brooks says, “The USITC’s determination confirms what our industry has been warning about: China is deliberately trying to put American mom-and-pop hardwood companies out of business. We congratulate the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood, and we applaud the ruling because our country cannot afford to stand by. Our political leaders should seize this moment to pursue a comprehensive, all-of-government response. We must protect America’s domestic hardwood supply chain, which equips our military, moves our freight, and powers hundreds of thousands of American jobs.”

The decision represents the culmination of a trade case that began in May 2025, when the Coalition for Fair Trade in Hardwood Plywood filed antidumping and countervailing duty petitions covering imports from China, Indonesia and Vietnam. Coalition members include Columbia Forest Products, Commonwealth Plywood, Manthei Wood Products, States Industries and Timber Products Co. Commerce’s investigations subsequently produced affirmative findings on both dumping and government subsidies. Preliminary antidumping findings issued earlier this year included substantial estimated dumping margins, while the countervailing duty investigations identified subsidy rates that varied considerably by country and producer.

Notably, the ruling does not encompass all plywood products from the three countries. The Commission’s affirmative determination covers hardwood and decorative plywood while excluding all softwood structural plywood. The Commission separately determined that imports of certain softwood structural plywood products covered by the investigation were negligible and terminated those portions of the case.

With the USITC’s affirmative determination now complete, Commerce will move forward with antidumping and countervailing duty orders on covered hardwood and decorative plywood imports from China, Indonesia and Vietnam. The Commission’s full public report detailing its findings is scheduled to be available by September 28. 

Wisewoods Co. Ltd. has commissioned a second Dieffenbacher Z-Sifter with Dryer Discharge Conveyor (DDC) for optimized material feeding at its medium-density fiberboard (MDF) site in Khao Yoi, Thailand, replacing two conventional sifters in an existing production line. The investment further enhances the processing of rubberwood, which is used as the raw material for 99% of the company’s products. It follows the successful start-up of Wisewoods’ new Cebro MDF plant from Dieffenbacher in August 2024, which was also equipped with a Z-Sifter for efficient processing of the challenging raw material.

“Since the latex residue in rubberwood usually has almost the same density as the wood fibers, conventional sifters, while effective at removing glue lumps, metals and large pieces of fiber, cannot remove the latex residues,” explains Visarut Palarit, Deputy Director at Wisewoods. “That’s why we rely on the Dieffenbacher Z-Sifter, which has a zigzag profile and was specifically developed for producing MDF from rubberwood. The Z-Sifter effectively removes most of the latex stains from our finished product,” he says.

For many years, the Z-Sifter has been a success story for Dieffenbacher, particularly in Southeast Asia. Over the past decade, the German machinery and plant manufacturer has supplied 15 of these “rubberwood specialists” to customers in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia and Indonesia. By the end of 2026, four additional Z-Sifters with DDC for optimized material feeding are scheduled to start operation in Thailand, including two at Panel Plus in Songkhla and two at Metro-Ply MDF in Surat Thani.

“In addition to enhancing product quality, we were able to reduce energy consumption in this area by around 50%. That’s because we have replaced two old sifters with one new Z-Sifter without any loss of capacity,” Palarit concludes.

West Fraser offered a range of outlooks in its second quarter earnings report. It noted that over the medium term, improvements in housing affordability supported by U.S. government policy changes and the expected normalization of inflation and interest rates, a large cohort entering the typical homebuying stage, and the advanced age of the U.S. housing stock (with a median home age of approximately 44 years) are expected to support new home construction and repair and renovation activity that generates lumber, plywood and OSB demand. And that over the longer term, growing market penetration of mass timber in industrial and commercial applications is also expected to become a more significant source of demand growth for wood building products in North America.

The company pointed to a seasonally adjusted annualized rate of U.S. housing starts of 1.43 million units in June 2026, with permits issued for 1.37 million units, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. However, it noted near-term uncertainties for new home construction and repair and renovation spending, owing in large part to weak consumer confidence and the level of mortgage rates and housing affordability. But it also noted unemployment remains relatively low in the U.S. Further, the U.S. central bank has cut its key lending rate a total of 175 bps (basis points) since September 2024. 

“While recent rate trends are directionally supportive for the broader housing industry, competing forces continue to create uncertainty around the near-term path of interest rates and rates of inflation. U.S. employment growth has shown signs of slowing, while the conflict in the Middle East and the potential inflationary effects of tariff and other government policies may continue to exert upward pressure on inflation and interest rates. Given these developments, demand for our wood building products may continue to be challenged and even decline over the near term should the broader economy and employment slow or the trend in interest and mortgage rates negatively impact consumer sentiment and housing affordability,” the company stated.

Meanwhile, West Fraser anticipates continued improvement in industry demand across Europe and the U.K. in the near term. In the longer term, it continues to expect demand for its European products to grow as use of OSB as an alternative to plywood and timber framing as an alternative to brick and block construction for new home construction expands. An aging housing stock is also expected to drive sustained repair and renovation spending, which will continue to support demand for wood building products.

“That said, ongoing geopolitical developments, including the inflationary effect of the conflict in the Middle East, may adversely impact near-term demand for our EWP products in the region. Despite these risk factors, we are confident that we will be able to navigate demand markets and capitalize on the long-term growth opportunities ahead.”

In its North America EWP segment, West Fraser expects somewhat softer demand for its OSB products in 2026, and acknowledged risks to its demand forecasts given the near-term uncertainties. In light of these factors as well as its High Level, Alberta OSB mill curtailment that was completed in the second quarter, West Fraser anticipates reiterating 2026 North American OSB target shipments of 5.9 to 6.3 billion SF.

In its Europe EWP segment, West Fraser expects 2026 demand for its MDF, particleboard, and OSB products to remain stable or show modest improvement compared to 2025 levels. It is forecasting 2026 OSB shipments in the range of 1.0 to 1.25 billion SF.

West Fraser also noted that global events during the first quarter of 2026 contributed to an increase in oilbased input costs, including fuels, chemicals and waxes. Resin and wax costs increased by approximately $13 million in the second quarter compared to the first quarter across all of its divisions due to these factors, notiing that resin and wax costs generally move in the same direction as crude oil prices.

“We estimate that a $10 per barrel change in crude oil prices impacts annual resin and wax costs by approximately $15 million, with other factors held constant,” In addition, transportation costs, particularly in the U.S. South, also increased due to an increase in oil-based input costs as well as a reduction in transportation labor availability. “Ongoing geopolitical uncertainty in the Middle East and broader macroeconomic conditions create uncertainty regarding the duration and magnitude of these impacts.”

Based on its current outlook and assuming stable market demand conditions and no further extension of lead times for ongoing or planned projects, West Fraser plans capital expenditures for 2026 to remain within the $300 million to $350 million range.

Latvijas Finieris continues to proactively evaluate development and investment opportunities that support the company’s sustainable growth and long-term competitiveness. Among the projects currently under consideration is the potential development of a new wood-based panel manufacturing plant in Latvia’s Latgale region.

The project is presently undergoing an in-depth feasibility assessment, while discussions are taking place with potential stakeholders. The evaluation includes a thorough analysis of the project’s economic viability, potential risks, financing opportunities, and its long-term impact on the company’s development, the regional economy, and Latvia’s economy as a whole.

“Latvijas Finieris is assessing the possibility of constructing a new wood-based panel manufacturing plant in Latgale, which would make a significant contribution to the regional economy, as well as to national security and sustainability. However, before a decision can be made, a number of factors still need to be thoroughly evaluated. The most important of these is the potential support from the Latvian government and the European Union to accelerate the implementation of such a capital-intensive project. What makes this project unique is that, in addition to generating economic benefits of up to 0.5% of Latvia’s GDP, it also has the potential to reduce national greenhouse gas emissions by approximately 6%,” comments Jānis Ciems, Chairman of the Management Board of Latvijas Finieris.

Latvijas Finieris will provide further information on the project’s development once the feasibility assessment has been completed and the relevant decisions have been made.

Boise Cascade Co. and James Hardie Building Products Inc. recently announced an expansion of their partnership under which Boise Cascade’s Building Materials Distribution division will become the sole nationwide distributor of James Hardie’s and Hardie North American affiliates’ complete portfolio of exterior building products through its extensive network of strategically located distribution facilities across the U.S.

Under the expanded agreement, Boise Cascade will distribute James Hardie’s comprehensive portfolio of products through its nationwide network of distribution centers. As the two companies fully align their focus and resources, Boise Cascade will transition away from distributing competitive siding, trim, and exterior moulding products. James Hardie has designated Boise Cascade its sole nationwide distribution partner and will consolidate its distribution network across all regional markets.

Boise Cascade’s Building Materials Distribution division is one of the largest wholesale distributors of building products in North America. James Hardie is the North American leader in fiber cement siding and exterior design solutions.