Trade of energywood, 1st quarter 2023

Prices for pruned stems rose in the first quarter of the year and were the highest in real terms ever since statistics began in 2014. However, the volume of recorded trade in pruned stems was only slightly higher than in previous years. The high volume of logging residues pushed the total trade to a high of more than one million cubic metres.

• One third of the energywood trade was pruned stems, and the average price paid for it in standing sales was EUR 15.2 per cubic metre. This price was nine per cent higher in real terms than at the end of last year and 75 per cent higher than the average price for the whole of last year. In delivery sales the mean roadside price rose by three per cent from the previous quarter to EUR 38.5.
• Logging residues accounted for just over half of the energywood trade. The average price paid for logging residues in standing sales was EUR 5.9 per cubic metre. Compared to the previous quarter, the unit price rose by 38 per cent in real terms and by 14 per cent compared to the whole of last year. The price in delivery sales fell by three per cent from the end of last year to EUR 20.5 per cubic metre.
• As usual, there was a considerable regional variation in the price of energywood assortments.
• A total of 1.1 million cubic metres of energywood trade was recorded in the first quarter of the year. This was the highest during the first quarter in the statistical history since 2014 and half bigger than the average for the previous five years. Compared to the previous five years, trade in pruned stems increased by 10 per cent and the trade in logging residues increased by 87 per cent.

Background information on the statistics

Unit prices in roundwood trade 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 cost-of-living index (1951:10=100). In the first quarter of 2023, the annual increase in consumer prices was around eight per cent.

The recorded prices are based on prices entered in wood trade agreements between the buyers and sellers. Any other increments and services related to wood trade are not included in the statistics. The prices do not include government subsidies.

The information is not rounded up to correspond to the total non-industrial private wood trade in Finland. This means that the published wood volumes represent only just over half of the energywood purchased from non-industrial private forests.