ACRE and the Division of Research and Innovation hosted a 2-day symposium on mass timber in partnership with the Tennessee Department of Agriculture. Mass timber, a composite wood product held together by structural adhesive and used in construction, emerged in the early 1900s when German carpenter Otto Hetzer engineered and patented glued laminated timber. Since 2010, mass timber structures in the U.S. have grown to a total of 2,664 in 2025. Nation-wide, industrial forestry and construction shifts have turned toward mass timber, initiatives forming in numerous southern states - Mississippi, Kentucky, Arkansas, and Alabama - but have yet to emerge in Tennessee despite its historic dominance in forestry and wood sectors. The symposium formally launched the Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative to jumpstart the state’s realized participation and leadership in this emerging field.

Led by licensed Architect and Assistant Professor of Architecture (University of Memphis) Katie Hunt, The Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative plans to draw in enough support to establish a dedicated research facility on campus - The Timberworks Laboratory. Initially this facility will focus on applied research to innovate new compositions of cross-laminated timber (CLT), bonded wood panels with alternating right angles. Once established, building toward its intended offering of hands-on learning for next generation architects, engineers, and builders, The Timberworks Laboratory may serve as a host for stakeholder organizations such as ThinkWood, WoodWorks, the Softwood Lumber Board, and the National Hardwood Lumber Association to hold instructional training, seminars, and workforce advancement.

The 2-day symposium was an example of the benefits of having a wide range of experts and interested participants in the same room to discuss the impact and interconnectedness of wood across industries. Break times around scheduled talks were spent networking between researchers, architects, entrepreneurs, foresters, policy-makers, and industry experts.

Forestry is a leading industry in Tennessee, generating annually $21B from forestry to wood sectors. Over half of the state’s land area is majority hardwood forests. Although softwood species dominate architectural standards (lower density relates to greater pliability), hardwood species are entering the mix in a literal way. As recently as last year, yellow poplar was approved for integration in mass timber products following the successful testing of it to meet stringent mass timber manufacturing standards.

The Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative will leverage the region’s vast forestry resources to address a declining hardwood sector which has lost $3.5B in annual revenue over the past 2 decades. In his keynote address, Bill Courtney of Memphis-based Classic American Hardwoods, shared his lived experience witnessing challenges as a hardwood supplier and business owner: mill closures, loss of logging workforce, low consumer demand in part due to competing, wood-imitating products (i.e. “wood-look” vinyl which is petroleum-based). Despite the challenges, hope remained in his message that consumers are still interested in the appearance of wood, albeit in unnatural products. Dallin Brooks, Executive Director of the National Hardwood Lumber Association, offered further rational for why this might be the case. Timber holds biophilic properties which respond to the innate affinity humans have for nature. A deep body of research shows that visibility of natural materials in our built environments measurably enhance well-being, mental health, and cognitive performance.

Key to the mission of the Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative is advocacy for restoration of healthier and safer forests. The state grows 1.6 times more wood annually than is harvested and the 14 million acres of forested land, owned primarily by family and non-corporate landowners, are in a state of overgrowth and aging. Courtney explained how wood is carbon sequestering as long as it is utilized, not just left in the forest to die. Decomposing trees send stored carbon back into the environment. When these dying trees are left standing past their prime they pose dangerous threats to logging efforts. In fact, this is such a common challenge that these trees have been dubbed “widow makers” in the industry. Increasing markets for our local and regional forest products will lead to wildfire prevention through proper forest management. Finding uses to extend the life of a tree through building products also prolongs the carbon sequestration cycle.

Another critical emphasis of the Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative is promoting the use of wood products in the architecture and construction industries. Some benefits of selecting a mass timber structural system for a building include faster construction time, cost savings, and safe, healthy spaces. It is easily modularized, can be deconstructed, and appeals to our human draw towards natural materials. Sustainability must consider the entire lifecycle of a product. Wood is the only building material that we can trace from stand of trees in a forest to a stamp on a piece of dimensional lumber. By researching how to re-establish Tennessee’s network of forests and lumber industry with manufacturing and fabrication of mass timber, we not only identify markets for that wood product, but can lead the way in integrating the state’s native hardwoods into an innovative building material. The potential impact of establishing a state-wide supply chain for mass timber is immense.

Perhaps no better time than now, the state has a compelling opportunity to redirect its wood interests toward mass timber and the Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative is prepared and eager to guide its path. The motivation is multi-faceted as impending challenges are as ecological as they are economic.

About the symposium and formal launch of the Tennessee Timberworks Collaborative: “I really feel like we’ve moved the needle here and have fired up a lot of folks about the value of wood from forest to building” — Katie Hunt