Vaagen: mass timber maker with EPD momentum
Vaagen’s family of businesses spans sawmilling and mass timber. The headline for spec-driven work is simple: their core structural products in mass timber are increasingly covered by product‑specific EPDs, which removes friction in carbon‑counted bids and helps win preference without discounting. The open question is whether every panel they sell is covered yet.
Who they are and what they sell
Vaagen is the umbrella behind Vaagen Brothers Lumber and Vaagen Timbers. The lumber arm supplies dimension lumber and by‑products to regional markets. Vaagen Timbers manufactures mass timber for building projects, namely cross‑laminated timber (CLT) panels, glued‑laminated timber beams and columns (glulam), and glue‑laminated timber panels often used as floor or roof plates (GLT). Portfolio photos show delivery across residential, office, mixed use, and campus projects.
Roughly speaking, that is two to three product categories on the mass timber side with dozens of size, layup, and visual‑grade permutations. On the lumber side, SKUs are likely in the hundreds given species, lengths, and grades.
EPD coverage today
Vaagen Timbers has product‑specific EPDs published with ASTM International for CLT and for glulam, both current as of today. Colorado’s public Buy‑Clean materials table lists Vaagen Timbers’ CLT EPD as valid through April 15, 2026, which is helpful for teams that must document an active declaration in submittals (Colorado Department of Revenue, 2025) (Colorado DOR, 2025).
For commodity lumber, the U.S. industry has regional, industry‑average EPDs administered by the American Wood Council. The first three regional softwood lumber EPDs arrived in 2024, followed by the Northern region in 2025, all third‑party verified by ASTM (American Wood Council, 2024) (AWC, 2024) and (American Wood Council, 2025) (AWC, 2025). These are solid fallbacks when project teams will not accept a product‑specific mill EPD.
Where the gaps are
We did not find a published, product‑specific EPD for Vaagen’s GLT panels as of December 20, 2025. That is the most notable gap for full portfolio coverage. Closing it would make their mass‑timber lineup simpler to specify across mixed systems where GLT often carries the gravity floors. It also keeps the conversation about carbon and credits focused on the structure the project actually buys, not on proxies.
Why the missing EPD can matter commercially
More owners and public agencies now ask for product‑specific EPDs to avoid conservative default factors in embodied‑carbon accounting. Under LEED v5 draft pathways and owner policies modeled on them, a product without a product‑specific EPD can trigger a penalty factor that makes it look worse on paper. That means a GLT panel without its own EPD risks being swapped for a competitor’s panel that already has one or for an alternate panel type with an EPD.
Likely competitors on projects
Mass‑timber procurement in Vaagen’s geographies often includes:
- Element5 for CLT and glulam
- Kalesnikoff for CLT, glulam, and GLT panels
- SmartLam for CLT
- Nordic Structures for CLT and other engineered wood
Public lists used by procurement officials show active EPDs in this competitive set for CLT or glulam, which is enough for teams to keep moving without substitutions (Colorado Department of Revenue, 2025) (Colorado DOR, 2025).
A quick note on their sustainability stance
Vaagen communicates a restoration‑driven story across the group, from small‑log utilization to integrated thinning and manufacturing. If you want to see how they frame it, browse their sustainability page on the lumber site which highlights resource utilization and forest‑health collaborations (Vaagen Brothers Sustainability). Their mass‑timber site also discusses environmental impacts at a high level, including CLT flooring assumptions and third‑party analysis references.
What we’d prioritize next if we were in their shoes
Publish a product‑specific GLT EPD to round out coverage. The wood products PCR used for CLT and glulam is a well‑traveled path, and the data model is already largely in place inside the plant. That single action would make their offering “EPD‑complete” across the typical mass‑timber kit, reducing substitution risk in office, education, and mixed‑use floors. It’s a small lift relative to the sales upside.
For the sawmill business, consider whether one or two plant‑specific EPDs for high‑volume dimension lumber sizes could unlock preference with institutional buyers that have moved beyond industry averages. If trustworthy project‑level numbers are missing, say so plainly and offer a plan to address it in the next renewal cycle.
The upside for spec‑driven sales teams
With CLT and glulam EPDs already live, Vaagen can confidently target projects that score materials on verified disclosures. Adding GLT brings the same clarity to the floor‑panel conversation and keeps value engineering from turning into value erosion. The faster the data is gathered once, the longer sales can reuse it across repeats. That is how the paperwork stops blocking the work.
It is definately the right moment to turn that last 10 percent gap into a signed submittal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Vaagen Timbers’ core mass‑timber products have current EPDs as of December 2025?
Yes. CLT and glulam have product‑specific EPDs published with ASTM International, and Colorado’s public Buy‑Clean list shows Vaagen’s CLT EPD valid through April 15, 2026 (Colorado Department of Revenue, 2025).
Does Vaagen have an EPD for GLT floor or roof panels?
We did not find a published GLT EPD for Vaagen as of December 20, 2025. Prioritizing a GLT EPD would complete coverage across their typical mass‑timber kit.
If a project will accept only industry‑wide EPDs for lumber, what’s available?
AWC’s regional softwood lumber EPDs published in 2024 and 2025 are available and third‑party verified by ASTM, which helps for commodity lumber packages (American Wood Council, 2024 and 2025).
About the Author
With a passion for sustainability and a love for complex data, Toby helps manufacturers efficiently collect data from across their organization and get their EPDs done right. He’s especially interested in how AI can support human expertise, helping R&D and factory teams work faster, smarter, and with less friction.
