Global timber market review #20-2015

– Market situation leads to downtimes at the Swedish lumber mills. Jarl Timber (a part of Norvik Timber) will cut sawn timber production at its plant in Broakulla from two shifts to one. The mill’s capacity is 110,000 m3 of sawn and planed timber. Bergs Timber plans to reduce production at its Orrefors sawmill from two shifts to one 10-hour shift.

– In order to develop operations and strengthen competitiveness, Setra is also carrying out productivity enhancing investments of EUR 1.58 million at the Rolfs sawmill in Kalix, Sweden.

– On October 15, the Italian Government decided to reverse the current 22% VAT on pellets to the original rate of 10%, Fordaq reported.

– Recently, Caofeidian Port in Hebei province began operations of its new quarantine and sanitary treatment zone for imported timber. This becomes the fourth national and the first Northern China treatment zone for imported timber, as ITTO reported.

– In the first half of 2015, Sweden has exported 6.7 million m3 of sawn and planed softwood lumber. This represents a 27% increase over the same period of 2014. The main export markets for the Swedish lumber were the United Kingdom and Egypt.

More detailed review of global market trends of roundwood, lumber, wood panels and pellets as well as news of the Russian timber industry; exclusive articles and interviews; over 25 pages of price charts are available in our digital Russian Timber Journal.