The construction of single-family houses using cross-laminated timber (CLT) is common in North America and Central Europe, and now this trend has also landed in the Finnish prefabricated house industry. The development of this construction method, which requires product and process know-how, is the result of the waning demand for prefabricated houses and changes in consumer habits in the field of construction. Olament Oy, a company that produces solid wood elements, and Vivola Oy, in charge of the turnkey process, expect the sales of this new product in the prefabricated housing market to grow rapidly.

In Finland, Stora Enso will begin the production of LVL (laminated veneer lumber). In the second quarter of 2016, a new production line will start up at the location of an old paper machine at the Varkaus mill, which will make wooden building elements using lathe technology. The company’s aim is to supplement the present production of CLT (cross-laminated timber) and sawn timber with the renowned and much-used LVL engineering wood product, which is suitable for many construction applications.

Petteri Orpo, Minister of Agriculture and Forestry in the Finnish Government, thinks it important that society creates the right conditions now and in the future for development work on and marketing of timber construction. Orpo takes the view that the action the Government has already taken to promote wood building, coupled with the relevant programmes, has been an important part of bio-economic strategy and the fight against climate change.

The new UN Climate Report warns of wide-ranging and irrevocable consequences if carbon emissions are not taken under control. Because the volume of greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere is now at a record high, mitigating such emissions requires fast and concrete decisions. According to the report, the world has only a little time to keep global warming in check at reasonable costs. The aim is to reduce emissions by 40-70% between 2010 and 2050, and to end the consumption of fossil fuels completely by 2100.