In June 2023, Finland's forest industry faced a notable decline in exports, with the total export value of forest industry products amounting to Euro 0.97 billion. This figure marked a 16% decrease in real terms compared to the average monthly export value in 2022.
Wood Imports
The volume of wood imports in June reached 0.35 million m3, which represented a nearly 25% decrease compared to the average volume of the previous year, as reported by Luke, the Natural Resources Institute Finland.
The majority of imports in June comprised pulpwood (74% ) and chips (15%). Logs accounted for 2%, while fuelwood constituted 6%. The remaining 3% consisted of various by-products of wood.
For the first half of the year, there was a notable increase of 7% in the volume of wood imports compared to the previous year, amounting to 2.90 million m3. Interestingly, most other roundwood assortments import volumes were lower, except for pulpwood, which saw a remarkable increase of 42%. By the end of June, Finland had imported a total of 507 thousand m3 of pine pulpwood, reflecting an increase of over 300 thousand m3 compared to the first half of the previous year. The volume of imported fuelwood also witnessed significant growth, rising from 30 thousand m3 in January-June 2022 to 264 thousand m3 by the end of June 2023.
Exports of Forest Industries
In the first half of 2023, the exports value of forest industry products in Finland totaled Euro 6.28 billion. This export composition consisted of paperboard (26%), pulp (23%), paper (20%), sawn goods (16%), and plywood (5%).
However, the wood-products industry faced challenges during the same period, with export values and volumes declining. The volume of exports of sawn goods remained almost unchanged, but their value decreased by one-third due to falling export prices. Plywood exports, on the other hand, declined by 17%, but the impact on value was mitigated somewhat by rising prices, resulting in only a 5% drop.
Conversely, the pulp and paper industries experienced positive growth, with a 4% increase in export value. Exports of bleached sulphate pulp surged by more than a third, with the export value following a similar upward trend. Higher export prices for magazine paper and fine paper compared to the first half of the previous year contributed to an increase in the export value, although the export volume remained relatively stable. Notably, the export volume and value of paperboard lagged, registering a one-fifth decrease compared to the previous year.
