Michigan is the latest state to launch an initiative aimed at accelerating mass timber construction. The new Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst Program will provide cash awards ranging from $25,000 to $75,000, along with technical assistance and peer-learning opportunities, to encourage the use of engineered wood in new buildings across the Mitten State.
Although mass timber products are not yet manufactured in Michigan, interest in the material is growing rapidly. According to a MSU study, a facility producing 100,000 cubic meters of mass timber annually could add over $300 million to the state’s GDP. The program seeks to build on that momentum, aligning with broader state priorities around housing, sustainability, and rural economic development.
“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 of MassTimber@MSU at Michigan State University.
Mass timber’s benefits include faster prefabricated construction, reduced embodied carbon, and the use of renewable materials. Projects in Michigan that have already reaped these advantages include, the STEM Teaching and Learning Building at Michigan State University; and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Customer Service Center in Newberry, which opened in 2024 and was the first in the state built from locally sourced wood panels.
The Catalyst program, produced collaboratively by the Michigan DNR, MassTimber@MSU, the Michigan Green Building Collaborative, and WoodWorks, will support early-stage projects that use mass timber as a primary structural or architectural material. Eligible applicants include developers, architects, and property owners with active projects in the state.
Awarded teams will join a cohort led by MassTimber@MSU and Woodworks to work through design, procurement, cost estimation, and code approval challenges. The program is funded through a one-time State General Fund appropriation authorized under Public Act 121 of 2024.
The Michigan Mass Timber Catalyst joins a growing list of regional programs designed to mainstream wood construction in North America. In New York City, the NYCEDC’s Mass Timber Studio offers $25,000 Grants and technical support for early-stage projects as part of a citywide effort to cut construction-related emissions by 50 percent by 2023. In the Southeast, the Georgia Mass Timber Accelerator, supported by the Georgia Forestry Foundation and the USDA Forest Service, provides funding technical assistance, and carbon accounting for development teams exploring timber-based design solutions.
Together, these initiatives signal a national shift toward renewable building materials, as states recognize mass timber’s potential to advance decarbonization goals while strengthening local economies and in many cases also supporting the need for more housing.
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