A Year in Review: 10 Stories About How SLB Is Shaping Lumber’s Future

Happy 2026 to our investors, colleagues, and industry partners. As we reflect on the successes achieved in 2025, we’re sharing a concise recap of the year’s most impactful SLB stories—from market expansion and code wins to education and workforce development. Each reflects our shared commitment to growing demand for softwood lumber through coordinated, industry-led strategy.

1. The SLB’s Strategy for 2.9 Billion Board Feet of New Annual Lumber Demand
The SLB’s “From Niche to Mainstream” strategic plan will prioritize high-growth segments that can be leveraged for faster adoption.

2. The SLB and USDA Forest Service Expand Accelerator Cities Program to Advance Affordable, Sustainable Building Solutions
New Accelerator City initiatives in Portland and Santa Monica help local leaders and building professionals demonstrate that wood construction is a scalable solution for sustainable, affordable development.

3. Four Winners Announced for the 2025 Mass Timber Competition: Building Sustainable Schools
The SLB and USDA Forest Service awarded $1.8 million through the 2025 Mass Timber Competition to four innovative K-12 school projects across the U.S.

4. The Future Is Under Construction. And It’s Framed with Wood.
Light-frame and mass timber are poised to expand beyond traditional residential framing into multifamily and nonresidential construction markets.

5. WoodWorks Accelerates Wood Use in Data Centers and Warehouses 
WoodWorks is positioning mass timber as a scalable, sustainable, and increasingly cost-competitive solution for warehouses, distribution centers, and rapidly expanding data centers.

6. SLB Programs Are Critical for the Lumber Industry’s Continuing Growth
SLB-funded programs are essential for growing and defending demand for softwood lumber against competing materials.

7. SLB Wood Education Roundtable Charts Path for Architecture Curricula
A national roundtable of 17 architecture program leaders convened by the SLB explored how to better integrate mass timber education into university curricula, identified barriers, and developed strategies and resources to expand wood building system education across more institutions.

8. WoodWorks Supports Growth in Student Housing Projects
Student housing is emerging as a standout construction segment, offering major opportunities for light-frame and mass timber wood solutions.

9. The AWC secured key victories in the 2027 I-Code Hearings
The AWC scored key wins in the 2027 I-Code cycle—helping ensure building codes nationwide remain favorable to safe, accessible, and economical lumber use.

10. New Attainable Housing LookBook Supports Lumber Market Growth in Key Segment
Think Wood’s new Attainable Housing LookBook shows how light-frame and mass timber solutions can help close the affordable housing gap.

2025 was a foundation year, setting the strategies and partnerships that will carry many of these initiatives into implementation and measurable impact in 2026.