Two design firms plan to build California’s first large-scale mass timber factory in Redding, a 200,000-square-foot facility expected to employ up to 150 people.
Mass timber is a layered wood product engineered for use in large structures — even skyscrapers — as an alternative to concrete and steel.
Scott Ehlert, founder of FABRIC Mass Timber, said his company is also working with Shasta College, UC Berkeley and Cal Poly Architecture to develop a curriculum to train future mass timber workers and designers. He said he hopes Redding can become a center for the material.
“Creating a skilled workforce that can then work in the mass timber industry, both within California as a whole [and] across the West Coast,” Ehlert said.
Recent changes to state building codes allow more developers to use mass timber in large structures, including high-rise residential complexes. Supporters say construction with mass timber can be faster and produce fewer emissions than with more traditional materials like concrete.
But the relative cost of mass timber remains high.
Architect Ben Mickus of WRNS Studio, which is helping design the factory, said higher production volumes can help lower prices.
“The pricing is very much affected by the scale,” Mickus said. “With mass timber, there's so much of the production and fabrication that can happen in the factory.”
Workers would produce pre-fabricated parts that can be shipped directly to building sites, Mickus said.
The Redding factory will source at least some timber from fuels-reduction projects in the region.
“There's a lot of species that are not used in traditional stick frame, single-family or low-rise, multi-family construction that we can utilize within our supply chain,” Ehlert said.
He said it’s too early to know how much timber can come from tree-thinning projects, but the company is working with CalFire and the U.S. Forest Service to evaluate the possibilities. The factory also plans to use wood from regional logging mills.
Ehlert said relying on local wood supplies and a local workforce could help in the event of supply chain problems, such as tariffs.
The factory, which will be located in Redding’s Stillwater Business Park, is scheduled to open in late 2027.
