Timber industry research & analytics Interview 
Russian Timber Journal 03-2023: interview with Pavel Kunin, Commercial Director at Doza-Gran; Russia exports almost no unprocessed timber; list of assignments given by the President of the Russian Federation as a follow-up to a meeting on the development of the Russian timber industry; China plans to increase plywood production capacity in 2023; Association of Furniture and Woodworking Enterprises of Russia suggests increasing the import duty on European furniture to 50%; owner of Leroy Merlin will hand over its Russian business to the management team; Governmental commission approved the sale of a share in Ilim by International Paper; large timber enterprises of the Tomsk Region are suspending production; Russian plywood output rose in February; Segezha Group sold its European assets that produce paper packaging; in 2022, the Russian export of wood and articles of wood dropped by almost one-fourth
April 10, 2023 ` 10:32
Russian Timber Journal 03-2023: Pavel Kunin, Commercial Director at Doza-Gran: “From the financial and time perspective, a wood pellet line is the most lucrative kind of investment associated with recycling sawmilling waste”; in 2022, the volume of roundwood export...
Russian Timber Journal 02-2023: interview with Yuri Strezhen, CEO at Praktika Group; state support measures for the Russian timber industry affected by the sanctions pressure; China reduced log imports from all the main suppliers in 2022; Vladimir Putin proposed to grant enterprises a deferment on forest area lease payments for unharvested timber; the Government of the Russian Federation increased the maximum amount of compensation for the expenses of timber enterprises for the transportation of their products; in 2022, Russia reduced the volume of logging by 13.5% to 194.6 million m³, according to Roslesinforg; Russian Railways resumed accepting sawn timber for export shipments through Kazakhstan; International Paper reaches agreement to sell ownership interest in Ilim joint venture; Segezha Group may reorient the Segezha West project to new products; the volume of furniture export from Russia dropped by 39% YoY in 2022, down to 29.5 billion rubles; Luzales and Slotex acquire Russian assets of IKEA
March 7, 2023 ` 15:24
Russian Timber Journal 02-2023: Yuri Strezhen, CEO at Praktika Group: “This is a good time to improve the efficiency of both production and administrative processes of enterprises”; support measures mentioned by the business, relevant agencies, regions, the Government...
Valeriy Sergeevich Sukhanov, D. Eng., Honored Worker of the Russian Forest Industry: “The Russian timber industry has degraded”
February 9, 2023 ` 15:22
On the cusp of drastic changes occurring in the Russian timber industry, it was thrilling to talk to a professional whose experience in this area spans over six decades. Valeriy Sergeevich Sukhanov started his career as a timber...
Russian Timber Journal 01-2023: interview with Valeriy Sergeevich Sukhanov, D. Eng., Honored Worker of the Russian Forest Industry; in 2022, the sawn timber export from Russia dropped to an 8-year low; North American companies continue to cut sawn timber production; the Government of Russia allowed transportation of roundwood and sawn timber to EAEU countries; in 2022, the Russian export of timber products reduced by two times and railway transportation, by 22%; over 25 billion rubles’ worth of transportation costs of industrial products export will be subsidized in 2023
February 9, 2023 ` 12:57
Russian Timber Journal 01-2023: Valeriy Sergeevich Sukhanov, D. Eng., Honored Worker of the Russian Forest Industry: “The Russian timber industry has degraded”; in 2022, the export of sawn timber from Russia dropped by 22% YoY, down to 23.5 million...
Russian Timber Journal 12-2022: interview with Anatoly Shcherbakov, Director for Timber Supply and Logistics at VLP Group; preliminary results of the Russian timber industry for 2022: the beginning of complex structural transformations; Lithuania tightens control over timber imports from Russia and Belarus; the Russian Government extended the increased rates of customs duties applied to exports of raw sawn timber until the end of 2025; plywood production in Russia fell to a ten-year low in 2022
January 19, 2023 ` 14:50
Russian Timber Journal 12-2022: Anatoly Shcherbakov, Director for Timber Supply and Logistics at VLP Group: “No effective state aid measures to support timber harvesting activities have been taken so far”; preliminary results of the Russian timber industry for 2022: the...
Vadim Fidarov, Government Relations Manager, Wooden Housing Construction Association: “Private housing projects are a market of cut-throat competition”
December 1, 2022 ` 12:38
The segment of Russian wooden housing construction has been growing actively over the past few years. In that time, wooden structures have been used in a greater share of private housing projects, according to industry experts. The market...
Russian Timber Journal 09-2022: Interview with Vadim Fidarov, Government Relations Manager, Wooden Housing Construction Association; will the Russian market of wooden housing construction be able to compensate for the lost export of sawn timber; EU bans imports of wood pulp and paper from Russia; Egypt imports Russian plywood at record-setting rates; over 9 months of 2022, Russian plywood output reduced by a fourth; Segezha Group reviewed the priority of building new pulp and paper mills in Karelia and the Krasnoyarsk Region; Russian printing houses may shut down due to a shortage of western equipment
November 30, 2022 ` 17:44
Russian Timber Journal 09-2022: Vadim Fidarov, Government Relations Manager, Wooden Housing Construction Association: “Private housing projects are a market of cut-throat competition”; will the Russian market of wooden housing construction be able to compensate for the lost export...
Alexey Panshin, CEO, Giprobum: “The designer’s task is helping the customer understand in as much detail as possible what it is they want”
November 7, 2022 ` 16:04
Large Russian timber companies have lately been purchasing design institutes to make them a part of their groups. Such institutes perform a series of design operations and render other services on renovation and greenfield construction of pulp and...
Alexander Sidorenko, Chairman of Dallesexport Association: “We do not need any support measures, just let us work in peace”
September 6, 2022 ` 22:22
Since the late 2000s, export customs duties on roundwood have been repeatedly raised to reduce exports of Russian unprocessed timber. Thus, the Government of the Russian Federation has increased export customs duties on roundwood up to 25% since...
Russian Timber Journal 05-2022: interview with Alexander Shangin, CEO, Vologodskiye Lesopromyshlenniki Group; roaring demand in 2021 caused a consumption/supply imbalance in the Russian MDF/HDF market; Rosleskhoz urges for reduced liability of forest users operating LesEGAIS; plywood production continues to decline in Russia; Valmet’s withdrawal from Russia is progressing; Rehau to withdraw business in Russia
June 27, 2022 ` 17:01
Russian Timber Journal 05-2022: Alexander Shangin, CEO, Vologodskiye Lesopromyshlenniki Group: “Substantial assistance to systemically important federal-level enterprises is currently non-existent”; roaring demand in 2021 caused a consumption/supply imbalance in the Russian MDF/HDF market; Rosleskhoz urges for reduced liability of forest users...
Jean-Francois Guilbert, Managing Director of FrenchTimber: “Sawn timber prices have been stable for 20 years so they’re catching up now”
April 1, 2022 ` 16:45
FrenchTimber, an association founded in 2001 by the National Timber Federation (Fédération Nationale du Bois, FNB). The association is developing the French export of sawn timber and French processed wood products: it helps its members ship their products...
Russian Timber Journal 02-2022: interview with Jean-Francois Guilbert, Managing Director of FrenchTimber; survey of WhatWood clients on 2021 performance and prospects for 2022; how anti-Russian sanctions will affect the Russian timber industry; Government of the Russian Federation articulated support measures for the timber industry; ULK Group suspends construction of Pinezhsky LPK; some foreign timber companies suspend their activities in Russia
March 30, 2022 ` 17:55
Russian Timber Journal 02-2022: Jean-Francois Guilbert, Managing Director of FrenchTimber: “Sawn timber prices have been stable for 20 years so they’re catching up now”; WhatWood surveyed its clients — actors in the Russian timber industry market – in order...
