Timber industry research & analytics Interview 
Denis Kumirov, Deputy Director General for Raw Material Provision at JSC Volga: “If our contractors were thinking about further development before, these Key Rate and leasing rate make it virtually impossible to buy anything”
February 14, 2025 ` 12:38
JSC Volga is one of the largest paper mills in Russia. This enterprise specializes in producing lightweight and ultra lightweight containerboard and printing paper. In 2024, the paper mill completed several investment projects that include: repurposing of Paper-Making...
Russian Timber Journal 01-2025: Interview with Denis Kumirov, Deputy Director General for Raw Material Provision at JSC Volga; Sawn timber production in the global market is reducing for the third year in a row — WhatWood analysis article; Businesses asked to postpone the introduction of FGIS LK by three months; Sveza acquired new assets in the cardboard and paper industry; Kappa Rus purchased Okulovka Paper Mill; VLP Group will invest over 2 billion rubles in upgrading LDK No. 3; Production of plywood in Russia increased by 5.1% in 2024; SFT Group will invest 20 billion rubles in corrugated cardboard production in Adygea; Volga started up PMM6
February 13, 2025 ` 16:29
Russian Timber Journal 01-2025: Denis Kumirov, Deputy Director General for Raw Material Provision at JSC Volga: “If our contractors were thinking about further development before, these Key Rate and leasing rate make it virtually impossible to buy anything”; Sawn...
Russian Timber Journal 09-2024: Interview with Alexey Garmash, CEO, Novomorsnab LLC; Value of investment in the Russian timber industry grew by 40% in Q3 2024; In January—October, the Russian timber harvest increased by 4.2% YoY; Plywood production in Russia has been growing for three consecutive months; Russian furniture may become 15% more expensive because of duties imposed on Chinese hardware; Wood biofuel production in Russia over 10 months of 2024: a sharp surge of wood briquettes and a decline in wood pellet production; Segezha Group shared its financial performance over 9 months of 2024
December 13, 2024 ` 11:10
Russian Timber Journal 09-2024: Interview with Alexey Garmash, CEO, Novomorsnab LLC; Value of investment in the Russian timber industry grew by 40% in Q3 2024; In January—October, the Russian timber harvest increased by 4.2% YoY; Plywood production in Russia...
Russian Timber Journal 08-2024: Interview with Alexey Lyapunov, Head of Export Sales to Africa at Sveza; Sawlogs preservation experience of timber harvesting companies — analytical paper; European Union postponed the Deforestation-Free Regulation (EUDR) by one year; European Union launches anti-dumping investigation into Chinese plywood imports; Plywood production in Russia increased by 4.6% in January – September 2024; Over 9 months of 2024, furniture production in the Northwestern Federal District increased by 23% in monetary terms; Russian pellets will start supplying to China; Segezha Group intends to raise up to 101 billion rubles during the planned additional share issue
November 25, 2024 ` 11:41
Russian Timber Journal 08-2024: Alexey Lyapunov, Head of Export Sales to Africa at Sveza: “Timber companies need reliable payment channels to enter new markets successfully”; Sawlogs preservation experience of timber harvesting companies — this material was prepared by WhatWood analysts...
Timur Irtuganov, Director General, AFWIER: “The Russian furniture industry has all of a sudden turned “from a Cinderella into a princess” of the timber industry over the past 10 years”
October 28, 2024 ` 17:21
The Association of Furniture and Woodworking Enterprises of Russia (AFWIER) is a voluntary professional & civil society non-profit organization established in 1997 to consolidate the efforts of overcoming crisis phenomena in the furniture and woodworking industry and creating...
Russian Timber Journal 07-2024: Interview with Timur Irtuganov, Director General, AFWIER; Slow economic revival in the Russian timber industry is beginning to fade; Russian plywood production grew by 3.9% over 8 months of 2024; Legal liquidation of Baykalsky PPM is completed; Retail furniture sales in Russia grew by 10% in H1 2024; Timber trading volume at SPIMEX exceeded 4 million m³; More than 3 million m³ of sawn timber has been exported from the Krasnoyarsk Region since the beginning of 2024; Birch plywood export from the Kirov Region to China increased by 5 times
October 24, 2024 ` 20:38
Russian Timber Journal 07-2024: Interview with Timur Irtuganov, Director General, AFWIER; Slow economic revival in the Russian timber industry is beginning to fade; Russian plywood production grew by 3.9% over 8 months of 2024; Legal liquidation of Baykalsky PPM is completed; Retail...
Russian Timber Journal 06-2024: Interview with Chongqing Chensen Timber, a Chinese sawn timber trader; Rosleskhoz published final harvesting volumes performance by Russian regions; U.S. nearly doubles duty on Canadian softwood lumber; Sveza purchased Kama PPM; Segezha Group will issue new shares; Ministry of Industry and Trade included a wood processing project by Forest Travel LLC in the list of priority projects; new plywood production facilities were commissioned in the Khabarovsk Region; a Chinese investor will start producing veneer and plywood in the Perm Region by the end of 2024; furniture production in the Northwestern Federal District grew by over 20% in H1 2024
September 23, 2024 ` 15:58
Russian Timber Journal 06-2024: Interview with Chongqing Chensen Timber, a Chinese sawn timber trader: “The supply of sawn timber currently exceeds the demand”; Rosleskhoz published final harvesting volumes performance by Russian regions: the Russian timber harvest has been reducing for...
Nadezhda Ryazantseva, Analytics Director, Segezha Group: “In Q1 2024, we saw an increase of demand and prices in some locations”
June 18, 2024 ` 17:19
In Q1 2024, the Russian timber industry was still recovering after the shocks of 2022. Nevertheless, some positive trends of leaving the sanctions-related crisis behind are gradually emerging in the industry. This has been noted by major timber...
Russian Timber Journal 04-2024: Interview with Nadezhda Ryazantseva, Analytics Director, Segezha Group; European Union imposes anti-dumping duties on birch plywood from Kazakhstan and Turkey; VLP Group purchased all assets of Metsä Group in the Leningrad Region; Sheksna Wood-Based Panels Plant launched a new MDF production line; after a two-month growth, the plywood production in Russia dropped by 6.2% MoM in April; Ilim Group is planning to implement two investment projects in the Irkutsk Region; in Q1 2024, furniture production grew considerably; in Q1 2024, the roundwood export from Russia grew by 14.6%; birch veneer export from the Vologda Region surged by almost one third
June 17, 2024 ` 16:40
Russian Timber Journal 04-2024: Nadezhda Ryazantseva, Analytics Director, Segezha Group: “In Q1 2024, we saw an increase of demand and prices in some locations”; the European Union announced the imposition of anti-dumping duties on Kazakhstan and Turkey of...
Russian Timber Journal 03-2024: Interview with Evgeny Peshin, Head of Neoparma LLC; a shortage of high-quality raw material for plywood may emerge in the Russian market; Segezha Group published its financial and operational performance results for Q4 2023; International Paper acquires DS Smith for $7.2 billion; Russian timber harvest reached 188 million m³ in 2023; built-in furniture may be included in the mortgage amount; in 2024, Ilim Group is planning to increase its product shipments to China to 2.4 million t; in 2023, investment in the Russian timber industry dropped by 4.8%, down to 188.8 billion rubles
May 2, 2024 ` 15:49
Russian Timber Journal 03-2024: Evgeny Peshin, Head of Neoparma LLC: “Our line is designed for small and medium companies, and this category of entrepreneurs has no access to investment funds”; a shortage of high-quality raw material for plywood may emerge...
Russian Timber Journal 01-2024: Interview with Russ Taylor, President of the international consulting company Russ Taylor Global; Sawmilling market in Russia in 2023: reducing production volumes for the second consecutive year; Suez Canal traffic down 60%; The volume of transported timber grew by 12.9% in 2023; VLP Group may purchase Metsä’s timber assets in Russia; Ufa Plywood Mill is listed for sale for 1 billion rubles; In 2023, timber transportation by the Russian Railways network reduced by 9.1%, down to 37.1 million t; As of January 1, 2024, the VAT rate for children’s furniture is reduced from 20% to 10%; Saint Petersburg R&D Institute levied 1.3 billion rubles from IKEA after it refused to build the Mega Shopping Mall
February 20, 2024 ` 19:12
Russian Timber Journal 01-2024: Interview with Russ Taylor, President of the international consulting company Russ Taylor Global; Sawmilling market in Russia in 2023: reducing production volumes for the second consecutive year; Suez Canal traffic down 60%; The volume of transported...
Russ Taylor: In 2024, it will definitely be a buyer’s market in China
February 21, 2024 ` 19:47
Although Russia’s share of international sawn timber trade does not exceed 16%, Russian products remain an important part of the global market, despite isolated European markets. For Russian sawmills, the focus of international trade is now on the...
