The Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences will host the “Cross-Laminated Timber Industry: Current Status and Future” panel discussion and reception on Tuesday, Oct. 19, from 2-4:30 p.m.

Cross-laminated timber, or CLT, is a prefabricated wood panel made from wood stacked and glued crosswise in alternating directions to create pressed layers. This unique engineering gives the panel exceptional strength and strong fire-protection characteristics while being light and easy to assemble. CLT is considered a sustainable material that is safe and cost-effective for commercial construction, while offering structural simplicity and benefits such as reduced waste, improved thermal performance and design versatility.

Guest panelists include industry representatives Derek Ratchford, CEO of SmartLam, Dothan, Alabama; Jason Reynolds, senior director, WoodWorks Wood Products Council; and Mike Kensler, director of Auburn University’s Office of Sustainability. Adam Maggard, Alabama Extension specialist and Auburn assistant professor of forest systems management, will serve as moderator.

The event will be held in the Conference Hall, room 1101, in the Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Building at 602 Duncan Drive in Auburn, Alabama. Industry stakeholders, faculty, students and members of the public are welcome to attend. Preregistration for the discussion is not necessary. Guest parking will be available on the third and fourth levels of the South Quad Parking Deck across from the school.

To foster this emerging industry with the Southeast, the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences plans to host an international conference, “The Sustainable Future of CLT in the South: Grow, Design, Build,” April 27-29, 2022. For more information, email Maggard at adm0074@auburn.edu.

To learn more about upcoming conference and other CLT-related developments, visit https://cfwe.auburn.edu/clt/ .