Wood Innovation Grant Awarded to Accelerate the Great Lakes Mass Timber Collaborative
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EmailDovetail Partners, MassTimber@MSU, and Team Pennsylvania to Advance Regional Mass Timber Ecosystem.
A new U.S. Forest Service wood innovation grant will enable Dovetail Partners, MassTimber@MSU (Michigan State University), and Team Pennsylvania to accelerate the next phase of the Great Lakes Mass Timber Collaborative (GLMTC). The multi‑state effort advances mass timber markets, manufacturing capacity, and forest‑health‑aligned wood products across the region. The award is part of the Forest Service’s national investment of $105.5 million in wood innovation, community wood, and wood products infrastructure grants, supporting 177 projects that strengthen rural economies, expand markets for low‑value wood, and improve forest health.
The Wood Innovations Grant Program is investing in proposals that expand traditional wood utilization projects, promote the use of wood as a construction material in commercial, institutional and multifamily buildings, and expand wood energy markets. Healthy forests depend on a healthy forest products economy, and these investments support local economies while directly contributing to improving forest health and reducing wildfire risks to communities.
The Great Lakes Mass Timber Collaborative — founded in 2024 by MassTimber@MSU — brings together leaders from Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and New York to build a coordinated regional mass timber economy. More than 100 participants convened in April 2026 to mark the release of the Collaborative’s Regional Vision, outlining priorities for supply‑chain development, manufacturing expansion, workforce training, and project‑level technical assistance.
“The Regional Vision reflects the knowledge, goals, and analysis of people across the mass timber chain — from forests to manufacture to research to buildings — in all eight Great Lakes states,” said Sandra Lupien, director, MassTimber@MSU. “This wood innovation grant enables us to start implementing that vision on the ground by identifying priorities in forests and matching them with opportunities in products and construction.” Lupien founded and will continue to lead the Collaborative into its next phase.
As the Collaborative’s fiscal sponsor, Dovetail Partners provides administrative and financial oversight, as well as staff expertise, to support implementation of this regional strategy. “It is an honor for Dovetail Partners to be able to provide a home for this work to continue,” said Kathryn Fernholz, president and CEO. “We’ve been involved with supporting the realization of benefits from mass timber since the early days, and we’re excited to see momentum continue to build.”
The U.S. Endowment for Forestry and Communities is strengthening the Great Lakes region’s mass timber ecosystem through a $300,000 matching commitment that complements the $300,000 grant. Together, this $600,000 investment enables Dovetail, MassTimber@MSU, Team Pennsylvania, and GLMTC partners to advance coordinated supply-chain mapping, provide technical assistance for emerging mass timber projects, assess manufacturing expansion opportunities — including hardwood mass timber products — and develop shared tools and case studies that reduce barriers to adoption. These efforts position the Great Lakes region to lead a national transformation in sustainable construction and forest-aligned economic development.
“Pennsylvania is positioned to be a leader in the growing mass timber economy by connecting our forest resources, manufacturing expertise, workforce and innovation assets,” said Abby Smith, president and CEO of Team Pennsylvania. “The Great Lakes Mass Timber Collaborative is exactly the kind of partnership that can turn that opportunity into action. By working across state lines and bringing together leaders from industry, government and academia, we can establish lasting economic opportunities for communities across the commonwealth.”
About Dovetail Partners: About MassTimber@MSU: About Team Pennsylvania:
Dovetail fosters sustainability and responsible behaviors through collaboration to develop unique concepts, systems, models, and programs. Dovetail excels at solving complex problems and helping responsible organizations succeed. We also help define programs that increase the job creation and the job quality of resource-based industries. Dovetail Partners is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.
MassTimber@MSU is a program at Michigan State University that leverages research, teaching, stakeholder engagement and outreach, and policy to advance mass timber construction and production in Michigan, the Great Lakes Region, and beyond.
Team Pennsylvania is a statewide nonprofit working to accelerate Pennsylvania’s long-term economic future. As the commonwealth’s trusted public-private partnership, we bring together leaders from business, government, nonprofits, organized labor, and academia to solve big challenges and seize transformational opportunities.
