Timber industry research & analytics Wood house building 
US housing starts unexpectedly decline to 2020 lows
June 26, 2024 ` 18:24
Housing starts in the US fell 5.5% to an annualized rate of 1.277 million in May 2024, the lowest since July 2020, from April’s downwardly revised 1.352 million and well below the forecast of 1.37 million. This unexpected...
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...
New fire safety standards were developed for multi-storey wooden houses in Russia
May 16, 2024 ` 17:12
The documents were co-developed by the Ministry of Emergencies and DOM.RF. The new norms have already been registered with the Federal Information Fund of Standards. The new fire safety rules will apply to residential apartment blocks up to...
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...
Segezha Group started shipping laminated beams and CLT from Sokol to China
January 18, 2024 ` 23:27
In December, Segezha Group made the first shipment of laminated beams and CLT to Chinese customers. The train with two containers of laminated beams (105 m³) and two containers of CLT panels (100 m³) has already arrived in...
Russian Timber Journal 11-2023: Segezha Group’s financial and operating results for Q1-Q3, 2023 and scenarios for 2024; Financial performance of the Russian timber industry began to improve but is still far from the 2021 peaks; Rates of timber harvest decline relative to 2022 are decelerating; Russian plywood production reached 3 million m³ over 11 months of 2023; Construction of a packaging plant worth 19 billion rubles began in the Moscow Region; Ilim Group completed the construction of a pulp-and-cardboard mill
January 15, 2024 ` 10:40
Russian Timber Journal 11-2023: Segezha Group shared its performance over 9 months of 2023, WhatWood quotes the company’s key production and financial performance indicators and presents an adapted management report; According to an estimate by WhatWood, in 2022,...
Russian Timber Journal 10-2023: Interview with Andrey Krivoshein, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Komi; Russia’s wood pellet industry: from a rapid growth to challenging times; US housing starts unexpectedly rise to a six-month high; Russian roundwood price growth accelerated in November; A large particleboard production site is planned in the Penza Region; Russian plywood output increased in October 2023; Komi is planning to double its wood pellet consumption due to boiler houses upgrading
December 27, 2023 ` 15:59
Russian Timber Journal 10-2023: Andrey Krivoshein, Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Komi: “Conversion from fuel oil and coal to biofuel will have a huge synergy effect”; Russia’s wood pellet industry: from a rapid growth to...
Russian Timber Journal 09-2023: Interview with Oleg Fokin, Director for Timber Export at Technonicol; Demand for furniture boards exceeded the supply in October; Global pulp prices have fallen steadily since late 2022, when they reached record highs; Timber products export by trucks to Mongolia and China was allowed for two more years; Segezha Group announces financial and operating results for Q3/2023; Ministry of Industry and Trade suggested cancelling the export duty on pulp and paper products; Russian furniture output surged; Over 9 months of 2023, the Russian roundwood export to EEU countries grew by almost 15%
December 5, 2023 ` 16:51
Russian Timber Journal 09-2023: Oleg Fokin, Director for Timber Export at Technonicol: “Now is a good time to invest in the woodworking industry”; Demand for furniture boards exceeded the supply in October; Global pulp prices have fallen steadily since late...
Rosleskhoz: 11 investment projects on wooden housing construction are being implemented in the Northwestern Federal District
September 28, 2023 ` 18:59
The greatest number of priority investment projects in the forest sector is concentrated in the Northwestern Federal District. Specifically, 11 of them are aimed at producing structures and materials for wooden housing construction, as reported by the press...
Russian Timber Journal 07-2023: interview with Segezha Group President Mikhail Shamolin after the announcement of the company’s financial and operating results for Q2 2023; Russian timber industry in 1H 2023: cautious signs of recovery; Mondi announces agreement to sell Mondi Syktyvkar; transaction on International Paper stake buyout by Russian shareholders is closed; Cherepovets Plywood and Furniture Plant and VLP Group have completed a major investment project on building a plywood mill in the Vologda region; Association of Furniture and Woodworking Enterprises of Russia: in H1 2023, the Russian furniture output increased; President of the Russian Federation instructed to accelerate the issuance of documents for building multi-story wooden houses
September 28, 2023 ` 18:39
Russian Timber Journal 07-2023: Mikhail Shamolin, President at Segezha Group: “The price levels we have now reached reflect the current global situation”; Russian timber industry in 1H 2023: cautious signs of recovery; Mondi announces that it has entered into an...
U.S. housing starts show substantial rebound In July
August 21, 2023 ` 19:28
The Commerce Department said housing starts surged 3.9% to an annual rate of 1.452 million in July after plunging by 11.7% to a revised rate of 1.398 million in June. Economists had expected housing starts to increase to...
