The Alaska Division of Forestry and Fire Protection is developing a new program to increase the use of Alaskan wood by allowing local sawmill operators to self-certify their lumber. Local Use Lumber is promotes locally produced dimensional lumber to be used in some residential construction.
Current residential building codes such as the 2018 International Residential Code requires lumber to be graded into quality categories by one of the six associations that publish grading rules for softwood dimensional lumber, to ensure that dimensional lumber can withstand the stresses of loadbearing parts of a structure. Alaska imports about $20 million annually in wood products from Canada, much of that in dimensional lumber, in order to meet current building codes.
The cost of sourcing outside lumber has continued to increase:
- Alaska Housing and Finance Corporation: new building permits fell by 15% in the last year because of high lumber prices
- National Association of Home Builders: lumber prices increase single family home construction by as much as $36,000
- Tanana Chiefs Conference report: an eight-foot 2X4 can cost as much as $30.00 in remote Alaskan communities
“The benefits of a local construction lumber program go far beyond soaring prices and supply chain issues,” according to Helge Eng, Director of the Division of Forestry and Fire Protection. “Small sawmill operators would independently inspect their product to confirm it meets the necessary specifications for construction, save cost-prohibitive membership fees for certifying agencies, and access a larger market for the rough-cut dimensional lumber that they produce. This program will also support rural Alaskan communities in particular moving from cash-only purchases to financing quality, reliable housing like the rest of the state.”
Seven other U.S. states have Local Use Lumber laws or regulations. The Alaska concept is a voluntary program with the State creating regulations, and municipalities that determine building codes able to opt in to allow the use of local lumber.
The public is invited to attend the Alaska Board of Forestry meeting on October 20 to hear more about the Local Use Lumber proposal.