Volumes and prices in roundwood trade, 3/2023

Pulpwood prices rose to a record high in March. The last time the average real price of spruce in standing sales was this high was in 2009, and for pine and birch, the price level in March has to be sought from the late 1990s. The last time the average roadside price paid for pulpwood was this high was in 2008.

The volume of timber trade was the second highest recorded in March. For the entire early part of the year, 11 percent more timber was purchased than the average for the previous five years.

Timber prices

• In standing sales, the average price paid for spruce logs in March was EUR 75.1 and for pine logs EUR 71.6 per cubic metre. Average prices rose by one per cent in real terms from February. Compared to the whole of last year, the increase was between one and two per cent.
• For pulpwood, the average standing sale price of pine and spruce rose by four per cent and birch by three per cent from February. For spruce, the price was 15 per cent above the average price for the whole of last year. Pine and birch rose by 19 and 21 per cent respectively.
• Standing sale prices for pulpwood were at a record high. The last time the real average price for spruce was this high was in 2009. Pine and birch prices have not been at March levels since the late 1990s.
• In delivery sales, pulpwood prices remained at February levels. Compared to average prices for the whole of last year, 15–17 per cent more was paid.
• The last time pulpwood roadside prices were this high was in 2008.

Trade volumes

• In March, 3.6 million cubic metres of industrial roundwood purchased from private forests were recorded in the statistics. This was the second highest in the history of the statistics in March and 38 per cent higher than the average for the previous five years.
• In January-March, timber trade was 33 per cent higher than a year ago and 11 per cent higher than the average for the previous five years. Compared to the previous five years, trade in logs is up 15 per cent and trade in pulpwood is up eight 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.

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.

Wood trade data for statistics are provided by the largest buyers of wood and forest management associations. As the information is not rounded up to correspond to the total non-industrial private wood trade in Finland, the published wood volumes only represent about 90 per cent of the wood purchased by forest industries from non-industrial private forests.