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Proposal would let certified small mills grade lumber for local residential builds; industry groups warn of code conflicts
Summary
Senate Bill 1061 would create a basic lumber grading training through OSU Extension and allow locally graded lumber for certain 1–2 family dwellings; proponents said it supports small sawmills and local housing builds, while national grading agencies and structural-code advocates warned about design values and code compatibility.
The Senate Committee on Labor and Business on Thursday heard testimony on Senate Bill 1061, which would direct Oregon State University Extension, in consultation with the Forestry Education Council and the State Board of Forestry, to establish a basic lumber grading training program and allow builders, designers or owners to use lumber tested and approved by people certified under that program.
Senator Todd Nash, sponsor of the bill, said the measure aims to help small sawmills and local builders in parts of Eastern Oregon where transporting lumber to market is uneconomical. “This would be kind of a boutique type of, a manner in which we could use local lumber for local buildings,” Nash said, adding the program was modeled on long-running efforts in Wisconsin and Tennessee.
Supporters said a narrowly tailored program…
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