As a global leader in forestry and structurally graded wood products, Canada has invested heavily in the research and development of modern wood frame construction systems, which have been exported around the globe to markets in North America, South America, Europe and Asia. Wood Frame Construction is used in a range of applications from the construction of whole buildings to their components, including renovation and the addition of a roof to existing structures.

The basis for the wood frame roof system is wood trusses, which are engineered frames of structural lumber joined together in triangular shapes by galvanized steel connector plates, commonly referred to as truss plates. The wood used for the trusses lumber, which conforms to strict national building design criteria, and the holding values and strength have been determined through years of intensive laboratory testing. The high strength-to-weight ratios of wood permit long spans, offering greater flexibility in roof plan layouts. They can be designed in almost any shape or size, thus easily accommodating unique structural designs and allowing for distinctive roof shapes. Wood trusses are widely used to construct roofs for institutional, commercial and almost all types of residential structures.

Today the majority of house roofs in Canada and the USA are framed with wood trusses. Trusses are also widely used in construction in Europe, Japan and Korea. Here in China, developers such as Beijing Capital Group have made use of wood trusses as a fast, cost effective, design-flexible solution to roofing new concrete villas. Recent cooperative roof renovation projects in Shanghai and Qingdao by Canadian construction specialists and Chinese developers have also proven the wide application and benefits of using the Wood Truss System in the renovation of older urban buildings.