Monday, November 17, 2025
Fabric Mass Timber is set to revolutionise the mass timber industry in Northern California with the development of its 200,000-square-foot factory in Redding. This facility, located near Sacramento, will convert fire-thinned trees into high-value building materials, supporting both sustainable forestry practices and the growing demand for eco-friendly construction products.
The project marks a significant milestone for California as it will be the state’s first large-scale factory dedicated to mass timber production. The facility will focus on turning trees removed during hazardous fuel reduction projects and forest restoration efforts into premium building materials. This initiative is a collaboration between Fabric Mass Timber, Cal Fire, and the U.S. Forest Service, which are working together to identify salvageable wood from wildfire thinning operations.
Ben Mickus, a partner at WRNS Studio, which is assisting with the project’s design, explained the significance of the new approach: “Right now, a lot of that lumber is just turned into wood chips,” he said. “We would like to use that lumber and turn it into boards that can be bundled together to make mass timber products.” This shift in how fire-thinned trees are processed will contribute to the sustainable use of forest resources while addressing the challenges posed by wildfires in the state.
The new facility is expected to serve one of North America’s fastest-growing markets for mass timber, a sustainable alternative to conventional building materials. As wildfires become more frequent and severe in California, this initiative will help mitigate some of the environmental impacts by repurposing trees that would otherwise be left as waste. The Redding facility will also play a role in strengthening Northern California’s economy by creating new jobs and providing a reliable supply of sustainable timber products.
A Model for Sustainable Design and Education
The Redding mass timber facility will not only focus on production but also on education and workforce development. “So with Shasta College, they have an advanced manufacturing program that Fabric is very interested in partnering with to really bring up the next generation, with the knowledge of mass timber,” Mickus added. This partnership aims to build a skilled workforce that can support the growth of the mass timber industry and other sustainable manufacturing sectors in the region.
Scott Ehlert, CEO and founder of Fabric Mass Timber, highlighted the company’s proactive approach in forest management and its role in identifying usable material from wildfire thinning and forest restoration projects. “We’re very much looking to add value to that natural resource so that more logs can get processed into lumber and get incorporated into our production line and not left as waste,” Ehlert said. This emphasis on value-added production will reduce the amount of material left unused after fire-thinning operations and contribute to the creation of sustainable building products.
In addition to its environmental benefits, the Redding facility is expected to create high-quality, well-paying jobs in the region. “These are good, higher-paying jobs,” said Rebecca Baer, CEO of the Shasta Economic Development Corporation. “This isn’t factory work where you’re dirty and sweaty. A lot of that hard labor comes before the product actually reaches the facility for production. This is like clean manufacturing, so to speak, but higher-paying, of course.” The jobs created by the factory will help boost the local economy while providing opportunities for the next generation of manufacturing professionals in sustainable industries.
Building a Sustainable Future
Construction on the new Fabric Mass Timber facility is set to begin next fall, with the goal of having the facility operational shortly thereafter. The company aims for the Redding facility to serve as a national model for sustainable manufacturing and forest management practices. By converting fire-thinned trees into high-value mass timber products, the facility will help drive the transition to more sustainable building practices, while also providing a valuable solution to the growing problem of wildfire risk in California.
The new facility will not only support the state’s efforts to manage and restore its forests but also promote the use of mass timber in the construction of environmentally friendly buildings. The sustainable production of mass timber from fire-thinned trees can help reduce carbon emissions and support California’s climate goals. By making use of materials that would otherwise be discarded, Fabric Mass Timber’s initiative represents a significant step forward in the development of a circular economy in the building industry.
As mass timber continues to gain traction as a sustainable building material, the Redding facility will be at the forefront of this growing industry, helping to reshape the way forests and wildfire-thinned wood are used in construction. The project exemplifies the potential for innovative manufacturing to create jobs, support the environment, and contribute to the building of a cleaner, more sustainable future.
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Tags: california, Fabric Mass Timber, forest restoration, mass timber, sustainable materials, wildfire thinning, woodworking USA
