In April, Finnish pulpwood prices continued to rise to record levels. The last time the average real price of spruce in standing sales was higher than this was 15 years ago, and for pine and birch about 25 years ago.
The volume of timber trade was the second highest ever recorded in April. For the entire early part of the year, 16% more timber was purchased than the average for the previous five years, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).
Timber prices
In standing sales, the average price paid for spruce logs in April was Euro 77.3 and for pine logs Euro 73.5 per cubic metre. Real prices rose by 2–3% from March and by 4–5% compared with the whole of last year.
For pulpwood, the average standing sale price rose by 4–7% on a monthly basis and by 23-28% over the whole of last year. The average price of spruce rose to Euro 28.2, birch to Euro 26.2 and pine to Euro 25.6 per cubic metre.
Standing sale prices for pulpwood were at a record high. The last time the real average price for spruce was this high was in 2008. Pine and birch prices have not been as high since the late 1990s.
In delivery sales, pulpwood prices remained at March levels. Compared to average prices for the whole of last year, 15–18% more was paid.
The last time pulpwood roadside prices were this high was in 2008.
Trade volumes
In April, 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 April and 32% higher than the average for the previous five years.
In January-April, timber trade was 47% higher than a year ago and 16% higher than the average for the previous five years. Compared to the previous five years, trade in logs is up 20% and trade in pulpwood is up 12%.
