SLB’s Think Wood campaign kicks-off year-long tour in Washington, D.C. on October 22
As part of 2019’s National Forest Products Week (October 20—26), the Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is launching the Think Wood Mobile Tour, a museum-quality traveling exhibit that showcases the environmental and economic benefits of wood products and their current and future use in both commercial, multifamily and residential construction. The traveling exhibit features a variety of interactive elements including building models – from single family home to tall wood, kiosks and LED screens that tell the wood story from forest to market.
Wood products, including mass timber, have seen strong growth in the last decade as they meet demands for sustainable and affordable living and working spaces. Wood is the only major building material that is renewable. When wood is used in construction, it continues to store carbon for the life of the structure, minimizing a building’s carbon footprint. Further, substituting wood for concrete and steel in structural systems of commercial buildings reduces fossil fuel use and cuts emissions of greenhouse gases on average 60%, according to analysis by Oregon State University[1]. In the U.S. alone, the softwood lumber industry is a significant employer, providing nearly 210,000 direct jobs in harvesting and manufacturing and over 775,000 direct and indirect jobs to Americans.
“The Think Wood Mobile Tour provides a window into the possibilities of wood for developers, architects, engineers and other stakeholders across the country,” said Ryan Flom, Chief Marketing Officer at SLB. “Where most see just a tree, we see the future of the built environment.”
On Tuesday, October 22, from 11:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. the Mobile Tour will be stationed in front of the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C. and open to the public.
Planned locations in 2019 include:
- National Building Museum, Washington, D.C., October 22, 2019
- Council on Tall Building and Urban Habitats 10th World Congress, Chicago, October 28 – October 30, 2019
- Remodeling Show & Deck Expo, Louisville, KY, November 6-8, 2019
- JLC Live Residential Construction Show – Northwest, Portland, December 4-6, 2019
About the Softwood Lumber Board:
The Softwood Lumber Board (SLB) is an industry-funded initiative established to promote lumber’s value proposition and increase demand for softwood lumber products in outdoor, residential, and non-residential construction. Through strategic investments in pro-wood communications, standards development, design and engineering assistance, research, demonstrations, and partnerships, the organization seeks to make softwood lumber the preferred material choice from both an economic and an environmental standpoint.
[1] “Use of structural wood in commercial buildings reduces greenhouse gas emissions”, September 15, 2017
