The trend of decreasing delivery prices has been ongoing for a full year, according to new statistics from the Swedish Forest Agency. The price of pulpwood decreased by 2.8% and the sawlog price by 2.6%, in comparison with the first quarter of 2020. Source: Timberbiz
Pulpwood prices have been declining the last four quarters. The sharpest decrease was in the third and fourth quarter of 2019 by 4.7% and 3.3%. This decline continued in 2020 but at a lower level and in the recent second quarter it declined by 2.8%. The largest decline in pulpwood price was in the Northern region by 3.5%. Prices decreased by 2.7% in the Southern region and by 1.2% in the Central region.
Sawlog prices have been decreasing or almost unchanged for the past six quarters. The greatest decrease was during the third quarter of 2019 by 5.5%. During the second quarter of 2020 sawlog prices declined by 2.6%. Prices decreased the most in the Central region by 3.8%, in the Southern Region by 3.0% and 1.1% in the Northern region. All comparisons above are with the previous quarter.
The decline in prices is larger if the focus is shifted to comparing with the same quarter last year. Pulpwood prices decreased by 11.5% and sawlog prices by 8.6% during the year.
The pulpwood price in the Central region had the sharpest decrease, 14.2%. The Southern region had a 11.4% decrease and the Northern region had a smaller decrease in price by 4.1%.
Sawlog prices declined by 10.6%in the Central region, by 9.8% in the Southern region and 1.7%in the Northern region. The decline in prices has therefore been lower in the Northern region when the comparison is made with the same quarter in the previous year.
Delivery purchase is a method which means that the forest owner themselves, with or without the help of employees or contractors, delivers their wood to the roadside. Delivery purchases account for less than 10% of the total sold quantity.
Note that the average prices are volume-weighted roundwood quantities. These prices refer to current prices, which do not take inflation into account.
