With recent pressures to extract more value from the Alberta wood resource, efforts are being made to find higher value products that can be marketed along with SPF lumber traditionally used in the construction industry. Products such as reinforced glulam, edge glued and face glued lumber, or overlaid laminated veneer lumber provide additional opportunities for the medium-size Alberta lumber producers who are challenged by fierce competition in a commodity-focused market.
Given the steady increase in the utilization of glued products in structural applications, there is a strong potential for further expansion of these markets. A recently developed standard that allows products to be manufactured from face- and edge-gluing of components paves the way for the development of a wide range of products specifically designed for the construction market.
A situational analysis of the current state of the Alberta forest industry is presented here. It includes resources, markets, codes and standards, technical and market challenges, and prospects for developing higher value structural wood products by gluing wood together or reinforcing wood with other materials.
AFRI-817G-06, 5063 pertaining to Composite products - Markets; Alberta - Economic conditions