Trade of energywood, 4th quarter and year 2022

The price of pruned stems rose sharply in the last quarter of 2022. In standing sales, the average price for it was 2.2 times higher than in the previous quarter and 2.4 times higher than in 2021 as a whole.

Average prices for pruned stems for the whole of 2022 also rose, by 30 per cent in real terms in standing sales trades and by nine per cent in delivery sales compared to the previous year. The price of logging residues fell by seven per cent in standing sales and rose by four per cent in delivery sales. The volume of energywood traded in 2022 was 10 per cent higher than the average for the previous five years.

Last quarter of 2022

• In the last quarter of 2022, the price of pruned stems rose exceptionally fast and high. In standing sales, the average price rose to EUR 13.7 per cubic metre. In real terms, it was as much as 2.2 times higher than in the previous quarter and 2.4 times higher than in 2021 as a whole. The average price for delivery sales rose to EUR 36.7, or 1.1 and 1.2 times respectively.
• The average price paid for logging residues in standing sales was EUR 4.2 per cubic metre. Compared to the previous quarter, the unit price fell by 15 per cent in real terms and by 18 per cent compared to the whole of last year. The price in delivery sales rose by 10 per cent from the previous quarter to EUR 20.9.
• A total of 1.2 million cubic metres of energywood was included in the statistics during the last quarter of the year. This was a quarter more than the average for the previous three years.
• The trade of pruned stems decreased, despite a large increase in prices, and its share of the energywood trade fell to a quarter. Trade was concentrated on cheaper logging residues, which increased and accounted for more than two thirds of the total.

Year 2022

• The average price paid for energywood was EUR 5.5 per cubic metre in standing sales and EUR 28.6 per cubic metre in delivery sales in 2022. Compared to the previous year, the average price increased by seven per cent in real terms for both types of transaction.
• The average price paid for pruned stemwood was EUR 7.1 per cubic metre in standing sales and EUR 32.0 per cubic metre in delivery sales. The year-on-year increase was 30 per cent in standing sales and nine per cent in delivery sales.
• The average price paid for logging residues was EUR 4.8 per cubic metre in standing sales and EUR 19.3 per cubic metre in delivery sales. The price fell by seven per cent in standing sales and rose by four per cent in delivery sales.
• Standing sales covered three-quarters of all trade recorded in statistics during year 2022. Logging residues made up 52 per cent and pruned stems accounted for 43 per cent of all energywood. Whole trees only covered only five per cent and stumps three per cent.
• Trade in logging residues increased by 16 per cent from the previous year and trade in pruned stems decreased by 19 per cent. The recorded trade in all energywood decreased by three per cent from the previous year but exceeded the previous five years by 10 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 (1952:10=100). In the last quarter of 2022, the annual increase in consumer prices was around nine 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.