A University of Oregon-led initiative to revolutionize the mass timber sector in the Pacific Northwest has been selected as a semifinalist in the highly competitive National Science Foundation Regional Innovation Engines program.

“This significant step forward for the University of Oregon, and its project to build an even stronger mass timber industry in our state is a powerful testament to my alma mater’s innovative spirit and to the research benefits from the CHIPS & Science Act investments that I worked to pass,” said U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon. “The U of O deserves major credit for earning this honor and I am confident it has both the capacity and talent to fully develop the employment and economic benefits of mass timber.”

Judith Sheine portrait and her work in mass timber architecture

The NSF Engine: Oregon Mass Timber Innovation Engine, led by principal investigator Judith Sheine, professor of architecture in the UO College of Design and director of design of the TallWood Design Institute, is among just 29 semifinalist teams nationally. The announcement builds on the project’s momentum from a $1 million NSF Engine strategic planning award granted in 2023 and the work of the TallWood Design Institute, a joint initiative of the UO and Oregon State University. 

“This exciting next step affirms our region’s potential to lead a national transformation of our construction industries,” Sheine said. The mass timber initiative “leverages Oregon’s world-class strengths in timber R&D, abundant forest resources, and manufacturing capacity to build a thriving and resilient mass timber ecosystem.”

Robots pick and place mass plywood sheets at the Freres mass plywood facility in Lyons, Oregon. Opened in 2017, the $40 million state of the art facility introduced a new and innovative product to the mass timber market. Credit: Marcus Kauffman, Oregon Department of Forestry
An employee at Freres Mass Plywood facility in Lyons, Oregon inside the CNC (computer numerical controlled) machine used at the facility. CNC machines use pre-programmed software to cut and trim mass plywood panels to tight tolerances which reduce waste and speeds the construction process. Credit: Marcus Kauffman

The initiative targets three pressing national and regional challenges: rural economic resilience, forest health and affordable housing. By advancing technologies across smart forestry, advanced manufacturing and resilient building systems, it aims to revitalize and modernize Oregon’s legacy timber industry and generate high-wage, future-ready jobs in both rural and urban communities.

Second story interior and exterior walls of the mass plywood panel house shored during assembly. Credit: Jason Stenson
Interior walls are prefabricated to correct dimensions and lifted into place during assembly of the mass plywood panel house. Credit: Mark Fretz

Mass timber, an engineered wood product, can be made from small-diameter logs and underutilized timber species, providing commercial markets for logs thinned from forests to reduce wildfire risk and promote forest health. It provides an alternative to steel and concrete in construction. 

Due to its ability to be prefabricated in factories, the method speeds production, in housing in particular, and reduces waste and carbon emissions. The new terminal at the Portland International Airport is a visually stunning testament to mass timber’s diverse uses.

The initiative proposes to amplify R&D and commercialization in:

  • Smart forestry: high-tech harvesting, fiber supply mapping and assistive technology for loggers
  • Advanced manufacturing and building products: new bio-based materials, robotic fabrication and product innovation
  • Resilient building systems: modular housing, retrofits for seismic and climate resilience and design-for-disassembly strategies
A University of Oregon research and design team has completed construction on a prototype house that showcases a sustainable, energy-efficient alternative to traditional home construction. Researchers with the TallWood Design Institute, a collaboration of the UO and Oregon State University, spent two years designing and building the 760-square-foot house made from mass plywood panels manufactured in Oregon by Freres Engineered Wood. UO faculty and students constructed the home inside the A.A. “Red” Emmerson Advanced Wood Products Laboratory at OSU, working with lab staff members. Time-lapse video courtesy of the TallWood Design Institute.

The 2023 NSF Engine strategic planning grant allowed the UO to build a regional coalition of more than 90 collaborators —including key partners Timberlab, Freres Engineered Wood, the Port of Portland, Oregon State University, Washington State University and Portland Community College — to develop a blueprint for scaling innovation and translation to commercialization.

Living space and kitchen on ground floor of the mass plywood panel house. Credit: Marcus Kauffman
Upstairs bedrooms in the mass plywood panel house. Credit: Marcus Kauffman

Sheine said the project is a comprehensive strategy to reimagine forest management, revitalize rural communities and strengthen the domestic construction supply chain while creating scalable housing solutions and resilient building systems.

Selected NSF Engine proposals have the potential to receive up to $160 million over 10 years, and the NSF expects those to be announced in early 2026.

—By Thuy Tran, University Communications