A bipartisan bill reintroduced by U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) this week would foster timber industry innovation and incentivize active forest management practices to protect that renewable resource.
The Timber Innovation Act would provide research assistance to help lower the cost of constructing tall wood buildings across the country, opening new markets and spurring economic growth.
“Washington State, and especially northeastern Washington, depends on the timber industry as a way of life,” McMorris Rodgers said. “I’ve long advocated for good stewardship of our national forests, and the Timber Innovation Act is especially a win for towns like Colville, which relies on the Colville National Forest for economic growth.”
The Timber Innovation Act would also encourage the use of cross-laminated timber, an engineered wood building system that relies on prefabricated, solid engineered wood panels.
“This legislation incentivizes active forest management and responsible forest thinning, which will reduce the risk of wildfires and better contain them if and when they break out,” McMorris Rodgers said. “This is commonsense legislation that encourages economic innovation and keeps our forests healthy.”
McMorris Rodgers joined U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene (D-WA) in introducing the measure.
McMorris Rodgers, a member of the bipartisan Working Forests Caucus, also took part in a roundtable discussion in February geared toward finding solutions to problems facing the timber industry.
The forest products industry accounts for 4 percent of U.S. manufacturing GDP annually, manufacturing more than $200 billion in products and employing 900,000 people each year, according to the American Forest and Paper Association.