Speaking of wood, I've been surprised to see two of our new mid-rise buildings going up with seemingly all wood frames. Both the 6-story Portland Housing project on Boyd Street and the 7-story Furman Block on Kennebec Street seem to be composed primarily of wood. I know the stair towers are cement and there are other materials involved, but it surprises me to see buildings this tall being built with wood, I would have thought you'd need stronger materials to support the loads. But then, I know nothing about building construction or engineering!
But if it's the case that new technologies allow taller buildings to be made from wood I wonder if there's an opportunity to tap into one of our largest natural resources and help the timber industry at the same time.