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Committee backs bill to let New Mexico sawmills grade structural lumber in state
Summary
A bill to create an in‑state structural wood grading certificate advanced after testimony that small sawmills cannot afford out‑of‑state graders; the program would license graders, link training to community colleges, and aim to expand local market use of fire‑threat timber.
Senator Gabe Gonzales presented Senate Bill 240, the Structural Wood Grading Act, to the Senate Conservation Committee; the committee gave the measure a unanimous due‑pass recommendation. The bill would create an in‑state certification program for grading structural wood so lumber milled in New Mexico could be used in residential and commercial construction without bringing in nationally accredited third‑party graders from other states.
Laura McCarthy, State Forester, told the committee that New Mexico has a network of small sawmills with abundant small‑diameter wood—much of it generated by forest thinning and wildfire mitigation—but the mills rarely grade lumber for structural use because the 24 nationally accredited graders are typically out of state and cost too much relative to product value. McCarthy said the net effect is New Mexico‑milled lumber is commonly used for nonstructural uses (chicken coops, corrals) rather than housing materials.
SB240 would house a program in the Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department (EMNRD) to finance curriculum development that meets national grading standards, contract with institutions such as community colleges to host training, and license in‑state graders who would mark graded lumber and provide certificates to building inspectors. Supporters told the committee the change could increase the economic value of timber removed for wildfire mitigation and create jobs in rural counties.
Several rural builders, forestry consultants and county representatives testified in favor, saying the bill could help restart sawmill operations in fire‑impacted areas and use locally sourced wood from salvage and thinning operations. Committee members questioned the number of sawmills and whether the Construction Industries Division might be a more appropriate home for the program; McCarthy said EMNRD preferred to manage the program but that curriculum would be designed to meet International Residential Code (IRC) standards and that community colleges could host short certification courses.
The committee recorded a unanimous due‑pass recommendation on SB240 and returned the bill to the calendar.
