Stumpage earnings 2023 (preliminary)

According to preliminary data, stumpage earnings totaled almost EUR 3.0 billion in 2023. Denominated in euro, earnings increased by EUR 0.1 billion from the previous year and were the highest ever in euro terms. In real terms revenues rise by 6% year-on-year but fell by a couple of precents compared to the average of the previous five years, when the change in the value of money was measured by the wholesale price index.

• Stumpage earnings of non-industrial private forest owners amounted to EUR 2.46 billion, while the earnings of forest industry companies and the state totaled EUR 0.49 billion.
• In real terms, the stumpage income received by non-industrial private forest owners increased by 3% and the income received by the forest industry and the state by 20% from the previous year.
• According to preliminary data, logging volumes decreased by 9% and pulpwood by 8% from the previous year. The income was boosted by the rise in wood prices, which was between 7 and 20% for logs and as much as 28–34% for pulpwood.
• The rise in pulpwood and energy wood prices was reflected in the share of timber species in income. The share of income from logs fell to 64% (-5 percentage points), pulpwood rose to 28% (+3 percentage points) and energy wood to 7% (+2 percentage points).
• Spruce still generated the most income, but its share fell to 42% (-4 percentage points) and was only slightly higher than the share of income from pine.
• The amount of investments used in the calculation of net stumpage earnings (gross stumpage earnings minus investments in wood production) is based on an estimate.

Information about the statistics

The statistics show stumpage earnings by region, forest ownership category and roundwood assortment. Earnings are calculated on the basis of industrial and energy wood harvesting, the volume of wood harvested for private forest owners’ own use and standing sales prices. 

Earnings are recorded in the statistical database at the fair prices valid each time. However, price changes are examined in the texts and graphs in real terms by eliminating the change in value using the wholesale price index. Wholesale prices decreased by 2 per cent in 2023 from the previous year.