Strong timber structures start with the right material. At Woodpecker, we help select the species, grade, moisture content, finishes, certifications, and structural details needed for each custom home, commercial structure, or mass timber project.
Our wood fibre is sourced from trusted sawmills in Alberta and British Columbia. At our facility in Exshaw, we keep a large inventory of rough-sawn timber on site, allowing material to acclimate before fabrication. This helps improve stability, reduce movement, and prepare each beam, post, panel, and connector for accurate cutting and long-term performance.
We help clients choose timber based on strength, durability, weather resistance, appearance, and project requirements. Species, grade, moisture content, and certification options are all considered to ensure the material is suited to the structure and its intended use.
Wood grade affects both performance and appearance, from commonly used #1 grades to select structural timber for more demanding architectural and engineering needs. We primarily use FOHC (free of heart centre) timber, which is milled without the heart of the log to help reduce checking, twisting, and warping over time. FSC and PEFC certified materials are also available.
Our preferred timber option, milled without the heart center to reduce checking and improve long-term stability.
Contains the heart center, making it more prone to deep cracking as it dries.
Beginning August 2026, our in-house vacuum kiln will allow us to carefully control moisture levels before fabrication. This process will help produce timber that is more stable, reliable, and well suited to high-performance construction.
From sourcing to specification, we’ll help you choose wood that’s strong, sustainable, and perfectly suited to your project.
Each wood species offers unique structural and aesthetic qualities suited to different architectural styles, environments, and project requirements. Our standard species include Douglas fir, North American spruce, European spruce, Western red cedar, Alaskan yellow cedar, and European larch.
We also offer reclaimed timber options for projects seeking additional character, history, and material reuse. Other species can be custom ordered depending on availability and project needs.
We source mass timber locally from Alberta and British Columbia, as well as internationally from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Common mass timber species include North American spruce, European spruce, and Douglas fir, selected for their strength, stability, appearance, and structural performance.
Our team helps guide architectural specifications, load-bearing capacities, span requirements, and overall structural integrity based on engineering analysis and local building code requirements. The ideal mass timber system and species are selected according to the design goals, performance needs, and scale of each project.
To give you clarity on how we source, select, and specify materials, we’ve answered some of the most common questions.