Wood Products Markets Grants (WPM)
Project contact is Patricia Layton at Clemson University (United States)
Summary
The mass timber and wood products industries must innovate new mass timber products that will utilize untapped timber from national, state and private forest lands, and provide ongoing work to mass timber manufacturers between larger building construction projects. Mass timber noise barriers have the potential to fulfill this need and, in turn, boost the economy. This project intends to produce, install and test mass timber noise barriers in various regions of the U.S.
Key project goal is to establish a nationwide Mass Timber Noise Barriers Advisory Team (MTNBAT) that will focus on: 1. Development of a list of states that have bans or regulations on using wood materials in noise barriers and seek to remove them. 2. Development of initial designs for mass timber barriers. 3. Seek state or federal Department of Transportation (DOT) agencies that will allow barrier tests. 4. Develop designs with state engineers for the manufacture of test barriers. 5. Seek and support installers willing to work with wood barriers (especially those for test locations). 6. Collect cost and performance data after installation. 7. Develop best practice materials and case studies to expand the use of mass timber noise barriers