California is set to receive its first large-scale mass timber manufacturing facility as FABRIC, a northern California advanced mass timber company, partners with WRNS Studio to address growing supply chain challenges caused by international trade tariffs. The project comes at a critical time when the proliferation of mass timber construction faces significant obstacles from tariffs that disrupt supply chains builders depend on for importing materials from Canada.
The United States imported 24 percent of its forest and softwood products from Canada in 2024, representing $11.6 billion in trade value. However, current trade policies have imposed substantial financial burdens on the industry, with softwood lumber products now facing 10 percent tariffs and kitchen cabinets subject to 50 percent tariffs. These increases have created urgent pressure to develop domestic production capabilities.
The announcement follows an executive order issued last April by the Trump administration to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, mandating a 25 percent expansion of American timber production. The ambitious directive has spurred private sector initiatives like the FABRIC-WRNS collaboration to help meet national production goals while reducing dependence on foreign imports.
The planned 200,000-square-foot manufacturing facility will be constructed in Redding, California, strategically positioned between the Shasta-Trinity National Forest and Lassen National Forest. This location provides direct access to abundant timber resources while benefiting from a nearby regional airport that will facilitate both domestic and international business connections.
"We have a full ecosystem ready to change the way we build. An experienced team. Design and engineering support from inspiration to installation. Advanced manufacturing and fabrication facilities that produce CLT and GLT to exacting specifications," said Scott Ehlert, FABRIC's founder and CEO, in a statement. Ehlert emphasized the company's comprehensive approach, adding, "Supply chain tracing to document sustainability and wildfire reduction efforts. Partnerships to train and develop a workforce that will frame new opportunities for our state."
FABRIC Mass Timber is collaborating with CalFire and the U.S. Forest Service on this transformational project, creating an innovative approach to resource management. These partnerships will enable the facility to source timber from forest thinning operations specifically designed to combat wildfires, known as Hazardous Fuel Reduction projects. This sustainable sourcing strategy will help create a new and abundant local supply chain for mass timber production while simultaneously addressing California's wildfire prevention needs.
WRNS Studio brings significant expertise to the architectural design of the facility, promising to set a new paradigm for industrial architecture. The firm plans to construct the factory itself using mass timber, creating what they describe as "a biophilic and adaptable kit-of-parts system that can be replicated by multiple industries—a playbook of sorts for scaling up California's circular, low-carbon mass timber economy, and fast."
The architectural practice, which maintains offices in California, Hawaii, and New York, has extensive experience with mass timber construction projects. In 2020, WRNS Studio collaborated with Microsoft to design office space that earned recognition as North America's largest CLT building by floor area. More recently, at Princeton University, the firm demonstrated its versatility by combining historic and contemporary architecture, seamlessly integrating traditional brick facades with modern timber-clad interiors and structural columns.
Looking toward the future, FABRIC and WRNS Studio are establishing educational partnerships with the University of California, Berkeley, Cal Poly, and Shasta College to develop a new advanced manufacturing training program. This initiative aims to prepare the next generation of forest industry leaders with the specialized skills needed to operate in the evolving mass timber manufacturing sector, ensuring a qualified workforce for the expanding industry.
