A support mat includes a plurality of vertically oriented individual wood members adhesively bonded to each other, each of the individual wood members having wide faces oriented parallel to a direction of a load applied to the support mat, the support mat having outboard wood members, the outwardly facing wide faces of the outboard wood members defining a wide face of the support mat. The support mat also includes least two protective edge members, each protective edge member having an inboard wide face, each of the at least two protective edge members positioned against one the wide faces of the support mat. At least two substantially rigid fasteners extend through and connect each of the protective edge members and adjacent wood members. The wood members, protective edge members, and fasteners define a substantially rigid support mat having a substantially planar wide face.