ORONO (AP) — Scientists and engineers at the University of Maine are evaluating the performance of Maine trees in a kind of lumber that is used to build homes in Canada and Europe.

The scientists are looking into cross-laminated timber, which is made from solid and composite lumber. They want to see how trees that grow in Maine and the northeastern U.S. perform in cross-laminated timber. The U.S. Department of Agriculture gave the university $300,000 for the work.

The university says the scientists are evaluating the strength and thermal and moisture properties of the timber. The school is also testing a hybrid panel produced by Louisiana Pacific in Houlton.