LANSING, Mich. — Michigan's Department of Natural Resources, along with Michigan State University, the Michigan Green Building Collaborative and WoodWorks, announced a new initiative program for mass timber projects being built in the state in late October. The program's goal is designed to spur interest in designing and building with mass timber – sustainable, large, engineered wood beams and panels used to create a range of buildings, even skyscrapers.

The Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program is anticipated to close December 22nd, with recipient announcements taking place January 19th. 

“As we see more mass timber buildings go up across the state, it’s clear that mass timber can become an integral and important part of Michigan’s forest products economy, which generates more than $26 billion annually,” said Sandra Lupien, director, MassTimber@MSU at Michigan State University.

Examples of mass timber projects across the state include the STEM Teaching and Learning building on the Michigan State University campus and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources customer service center in Newberry, which opened in December 2024. These are among at least 65 mass timber buildings in various stages of completion, design or construction in cities, suburbs and small towns in both peninsulas of Michigan.

The new Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program is designed to help those projects along. It provides financial and technical support to project teams engaged in the early planning and design phases of new projects that use mass timber as a primary structural or architectural material.

Eligible applicants include property owners, design professionals or real estate developers with an active, commissioned project in Michigan that is prioritizing or considering use of mass timber. Projects may include commercial, industrial, public/institutional, multifamily residential and other building types that demonstrate innovative and optimized use of mass timber.

Project teams that receive awards – ranging from $25,000 to $75,000 – will participate in a cohort led by MassTimber@MSU and WoodWorks, a nonprofit organization that promotes wood construction in commercial and residential settings. Together, teams will work through processes related to design, procurement, cost estimation, code approval and more. The program also includes public engagement and knowledge-sharing activities to promote best practices.

To learn more, visit our previous article announcing the program. 

Program details

The Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program is produced collaboratively by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, MassTimber@MSU (Michigan State University), the Michigan Green Building Collaborative and WoodWorks, with participation from the Michigan Bureau of Construction Codes, the Michigan Bureau of Fire Services and InvestUP.

Funding to support this program is being provided from a one-time State General Fund appropriation to the Department of Natural Resources in Public Act 121 of 2024. The purpose of this allocation is to aid in the development of a mass timber market in the state of Michigan.