An affordable housing project under construction in Portland is making good use of cross-laminated lumber, a building material that is growing in popularity and holds great potential for Maine’s wood products industry.

Unfortunately, it had to come all the way from Montana.

To make cross-laminated lumber, layers of low-value softwood are fused together with glue and pressure. It is as strong as the building materials already in wide use, and it can be produced and erected far more quickly and with fewer carbon emissions. Increasingly, it is being used as a cheaper, more environmentally friendly substitute for steel beams and concrete.