Trade of energywood, 1st quarter 2025

Energywood prices fell slightly in the first quarter. Compared to the previous quarter, average prices of pruned stem fell by 6% in standing sales and by 5% in delivery sales. Prices for logging residues fell by about half as much. 

Trade was quite brisk. The volumes recorded were not as high as a year earlier, but the volume of energywood purchased was still 30% higher than the average for the previous five years.

Prices

• Two-fifths of the energywood trade in the first quarter was pruned stems. The average price paid was almost EUR 25 per cubic metre in standing sales and EUR 46 per cubic metre in delivery sales. Prices were 5-6% lower in real terms than in the previous quarter.
• Logging residues accounted for two fifths of the energywood trade. The average standing sales price was EUR 14 and the roadside price was almost EUR 32 per cubic metre. This was 2-3% less than at the end of last year.

Average energywood prices and their real changes 

Trade volumes

• A total of 1.1 million cubic metres of energywood trade was recorded in the first quarter of the year. This was eight per cent lower than a year earlier, but 30 per cent higher than the average for the previous five years.
• Compared to the previous year, the trade in logging residues fell by 16% in the first quarter, while the volume of pruned stems wood decreased by 4%. Compared to the previous five years, trade in logging residues was up by about a fifth and trade in pruned stems by a quarter. Trade in unpruned stems for energy almost doubled, but accounted for only 16% of the recorded trade in energywood at the beginning of this year.

The data collection of the statistics has been extended during early 2024, so the data and changes in 2024/1 are not fully comparable with earlier data. New data suppliers accounted for about 5% of all energywood recorded during this period.

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 2025, the annual increase in consumer prices was less than one 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. The coverage of the statistics varies slightly.