Cross-laminated timber, or CLT, is a prefabricated wood panel made from wood stacked and glued crosswise in alternating directions to create pressed layers. This unique engineering gives CLT exceptional strength and strong fire protection characteristics while being light and easy to assemble, making this sustainable material safe and cost-effective for commercial construction.

CLT also offers structural simplicity and benefits such as reduced waste, improved thermal performance and design versatility. Due to its numerous economic and environmental benefits, the use of CLT shows promise for many industries within the Southern region of the U.S., including developers and contractors, architects and engineers, and foresters and landowners.

CLT was initially used in Germany and Austria in the early 1990s as an alternative to stone, masonry, and concrete construction. The first national CLT guidelines were published in 2002, which spurred the acceptance of CLT as a building material for multi-story buildings throughout Europe. CLT began to appear in Canada and the Pacific Northwest U.S. about 10 years ago and is now growing in popularity for various types of construction projects across the Southern U.S.