Russia exports almost no unprocessed timber

In 2022, the volume of roundwood export from Russia dropped by almost 4 times, down to 3.5 million m³. Supplies to China account for 80% of the export volume. Russia has never exported so little unprocessed timber in its contemporary history. The plummeting roundwood export was a direct consequence of the introduced customs tariff regulation measures, export customs duties, bans, and restrictions imposed by both Russia and the European Union in 2022.

Previously, Finland had annually imported 5-6 million m³ of birch pulpwood from Russia, mainly from its northwestern regions. Logistical difficulties and the limited number of checkpoints for exports to China also had a significant impact on sales to the eastern markets.

Roundwood (unprocessed birch logs) is now in fact exported only to China. According to WhatWood estimates, the export of birch roundwood to China reached 2.4 million m³ in 2022 (-12% YoY), which includes 1.9 million m³ (+15% YoY) of birch veneer logs.

Read more in Russian Timber Journal 03-2023.