Cut timber is stacked at Cambium’s facility in Columbia. Photo by Sam Crane, Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Maryland’s forests produce substantially more wood than is harvested each year, but gaps in processing, marketing, and distribution can make it difficult to move that material into construction and consumer markets. Trees removed following storms, development, disease, or routine urban maintenance may also lack nearby processing options, limiting opportunities to recover their wood for beneficial use.
DNR is working with state agencies and the forest products industry to identify and address those barriers. This includes helping project planners understand which Maryland species and products may be suitable for a project, connecting potential buyers with producers and suppliers, and helping Maryland businesses understand and compete for state procurement opportunities.
Governor Wes Moore signed an executive order June 1 directing state agencies to increase the use of wood grown and harvested in Maryland in publicly funded construction projects when wood is a required, preferred, or appropriate building material. The order calls on state agencies to review procurement practices and identify opportunities to use more Maryland wood.
On Aug. 18, Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Department of Emergency Management officials, including DNR Sec. Josh Kurtz, had the opportunity to see how local innovators are reshaping the timber industry in Maryland. They joined forest products professionals and other partners for a tour of Cambium’s flagship wood-processing facility under construction in Columbia. The visit focused on opportunities to strengthen Maryland’s wood supply chain and increase the use of Maryland-grown wood in public projects.
Building Markets for Maryland Wood
Maryland Department of Natural Resources and Maryland Department of Emergency Management officials tour Cambium’s wood-processing facility in Columbia on Aug. 18, 2026.
The Cambium facility offered tour participants an example of how multiple parts of the local wood supply chain can be connected in one location to help buyers source sustainably grown lumber that meets their needs. Once operational, the facility is expected to include a wood innovation laboratory, kilns and vacuum kilns, sorting equipment, production space, a woodshop, and a customer showroom. Its planned capabilities will support research, processing, product development, and sales involving locally sourced and salvaged wood.
Cambium representatives said the facility will work with approximately 15 wood species across applications including v mass timber, furniture production, and thermally modified wood, which uses heat rather than chemical treatment to improve the wood’s resistance to decay.
“Strong markets give landowners more options for keeping forests healthy and productive,” State Forester Anne Hairston-Strang said. “Expanding markets for Maryland wood can support forest stewardship while creating more value from a renewable resource we are already growing here.”
Cambium officials said that wood produced from the facility will be traceable to its source, potentially down to the individual forest or tract of land. This traceability can help buyers verify where materials originated and better understand the environmental and community benefits associated with their purchases.
Timber from disaster cleanup — like these downed trees caused by heavy rains in Green Ridge State Forest — can be put to good use. Maryland DNR photo.
“Foresters can identify work that would improve forest health and long-term productivity, but whether that work is economically feasible often depends on having a market for the wood that comes out of it,” Maryland Forest Service Stewardship and Utilization Manager Dan Rider said. “Cambium is showing what that connection can look like in practice, where better processing and stronger markets can make good forest stewardship more workable.”
Local Wood in Hazard Mitigation and Recovery
The discussions also included opportunities to use Maryland-grown and salvaged wood in hazard mitigation and disaster recovery. MDEM’s interest grew from a climate-adaptation project that elevated homes in Crisfield and incorporated donated thermally modified lumber. The project demonstrated a potential use for durable local wood products in communities adapting to increased flood risk.
DNR is seeking collaboration with wood producers, mills, product manufacturers, architects, engineers, contractors, developers, state and local agencies, and other organizations interested in expanding the use of Maryland-grown wood.
The DNR website contains more information about Maryland’s Wood Utilization and Markets program.
