Ashland looks to generate investment around new forest industry product

May 14, 2021

By Maureen Milliken

The town of Ashland is launching a development program, Original Mass Timber Maine, that aims to build markets for structural round timber, a low-cost and carbon-friendly building product that is a perfect fit for the state’s forest industry, those behind the initative say.

The three-year project, funded by a grant to the town from the Northern Forest Center and Forest Opportunity Roadmap coalition (FOR Maine), is aimed at generating a sales pipeline for the Ashland area based on the timber product. Structural round timber products are up to 50% stronger than milled lumber, and are used for columns, beams, trusses and other structrual features.