II 

115TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 538 

To clarify research and development for wood products, and for other 

purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MARCH 7, 2017 

Ms. STABENOW (for herself, Mr. CRAPO, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. RISCH, Mr. 

WYDEN, Mr. WICKER, Ms. CANTWELL, Ms. COLLINS, Mr. MERKLEY, Mr. 

DAINES, Mr. KING, Mr. PETERS, and Mr. TESTER) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry 

A BILL 

To clarify research and development for wood products, and 

for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Timber Innovation Act 

5 of 2017’’. 

6 SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 

7 In this Act: 

8 (1) INNOVATIVE WOOD PRODUCT.—The term 

9 ‘‘innovative wood product’’ means a type of building 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 538 IS

1 component or system that uses large panelized wood 

2 construction, including mass timber. 

3 (2) MASS TIMBER.—The term ‘‘mass timber’’ 

4 includes— 

5 (A) cross-laminated timber; 

6 (B) nail laminated timber; 

7 (C) glue laminated timber; 

8 (D) laminated strand lumber; and 

9 (E) laminated veneer lumber. 

10 (3) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

11 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the Re12 search and Development deputy area and the State 

13 and Private Forestry deputy area of the Forest 

14 Service. 

15 (4) TALL WOOD BUILDING.—The term ‘‘tall 

16 wood building’’ means a building designed to be— 

17 (A) constructed with mass timber; and 

18 (B) more than 85 feet in height. 

19 SEC. 3. CLARIFICATION OF RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT 

20 PROGRAM FOR WOOD BUILDING CONSTRUC21 TION. 

22 (a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall conduct per23 formance-driven research and development, education, and 

24 technical assistance for the purpose of facilitating the use 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 538 IS

1 of innovative wood products in wood building construction 

2 in the United States. 

3 (b) ACTIVITIES.—In carrying out subsection (a), the 

4 Secretary shall— 

5 (1) after receipt of input and guidance from, 

6 and collaboration with, the wood products industry, 

7 conservation organizations, and institutions of high8 er education, conduct research and development, 

9 education, and technical assistance at the Forest 

10 Products Laboratory or through the State and Pri11 vate Forestry deputy area that meets measurable 

12 performance goals for the achievement of the prior13 ities described in subsection (c); and 

14 (2) after coordination and collaboration with 

15 the wood products industry and conservation organi16 zations, make competitive grants to institutions of 

17 higher education to conduct research and develop18 ment, education, and technical assistance that meets 

19 measurable performance goals for the achievement 

20 of the priorities described in subsection (c). 

21 (c) PRIORITIES.—The research and development, 

22 education, and technical assistance conducted under sub23 section (a) shall give priority to— 

24 (1) ways to improve the commercialization of 

25 innovative wood products; 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 538 IS

1 (2) analyzing the safety of tall wood building 

2 materials; 

3 (3) calculations by the Forest Products Labora4 tory of the life cycle environmental footprint, from 

5 extraction of raw materials through the manufac6 turing process, of tall wood building construction; 

7 (4) analyzing methods to reduce the life cycle 

8 environmental footprint of tall wood building con9 struction; 

10 (5) analyzing the potential implications of the 

11 use of innovative wood products in building con12 struction on wildlife; and 

13 (6) one or more other research areas identified 

14 by the Secretary, in consultation with conservation 

15 organizations, institutions of higher education, and 

16 the wood products industry. 

17 (d) TIMEFRAME.—To the maximum extent prac18 ticable, the measurable performance goals for the research 

19 and development, education, and technical assistance con20 ducted under subsection (a) shall be achievable within a 

21 5-year timeframe. 

22 SEC. 4. TALL WOOD BUILDING COMPETITION. 

23 Subject to availability of appropriations, not less fre24 quently than once during each fiscal year for the period 

25 of fiscal years 2017 through 2021, the Secretary shall 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 538 IS

1 carry out a competition for a tall wood building design, 

2 or other innovative wood product demonstration, in ac3 cordance with section 24 of the Stevenson-Wydler Tech4 nology Innovation Act of 1980 (15 U.S.C. 3719). 

5 SEC. 5. WOOD INNOVATION GRANT PROGRAM. 

6 (a) DEFINITIONS.—In this section: 

7 (1) ELIGIBLE ENTITY.—The term ‘‘eligible enti8 ty’’ means— 

9 (A) an individual; 

10 (B) a public or private entity (including a 

11 center of excellence that consists of one or more 

12 partnerships between forestry, engineering, ar13 chitecture, or business schools at one or more 

14 institutions of higher education); or 

15 (C) a State, local, or tribal government. 

16 (2) SECRETARY.—The term ‘‘Secretary’’ means 

17 the Secretary of Agriculture, acting through the 

18 Chief of the Forest Service. 

19 (b) GRANTS AUTHORIZED.—The Secretary, in car20 rying out the wood innovation grant program of the Sec21 retary described in the notice of the Secretary entitled 

22 ‘‘Request for Proposals: 2016 Wood Innovations Funding 

23 Opportunity’’ (80 Fed. Reg. 63498 (October 20, 2015)), 

24 may make a wood innovation grant to one or more eligible 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 538 IS

1 entities each year for the purpose of advancing the use 

2 of innovative wood products. 

3 (c) INCENTIVIZING USE OF EXISTING MILLING CA4 PACITY.—In selecting among proposals of eligible entities 

5 under subsection (b), the Secretary shall give priority to 

6 proposals that include the use or retrofitting (or both) of 

7 existing sawmill facilities located in counties in which the 

8 average annual unemployment rate exceeded the national 

9 average unemployment rate by more than 1 percent in the 

10 previous calendar year. 

11 (d) MATCHING REQUIREMENT.—As a condition of re12 ceiving a grant under subsection (b), an eligible entity 

13 shall provide funds equal to the amount the eligible entity 

14 receives under the grant, to be derived from non-Federal 

15 sources. 

Æ 


lotter on DSK5VPTVN1PROD with BILLS