Russian timber industry news #4-2015

– In the autumn of 2015, three new pellet mills delivered by Hekotek will be put into operation in the Irkutsk region.

– The EU requested the establishment of a dispute settlement panel at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva concerning Russia’s excessive import duties on different groups of products including paper products.

– Lumber Liquidators, an American trade company, is facing criminal charges under the Lacey Act for importing illegally harvested wood, sourced in the Russian Far East and further processed into hardwood flooring in China.

– The governor of Tyumen region Vladimir Yakushev and General Director of AVA Company Armen Babajanian have signed a cooperation agreement, as the Omsk-based company will develop logging and wood processing in the region.

– In September or October 2015, Tomlesdrev plans to start a 50,000 m3 chipboard production on the new Dieffenbacher line.

– Stora Enso has no intention to increase raw wood volumes from Russia, despite the reduced wood prices in the country caused by the rouble crash.

– The first vessel with wood from Sakhalin went to China from the port of Kholmsk.

– Until the summer, Sveza Group suspended the project of a new plant worth RUR 6 billion with the capacity of 500,000 m3 at its site in Verkhnyaya Sinyachikha (former Fankom, Sverdlovsk region).

– The company Eximcorp, exclusive partner of Sveza in India, presented company’s plywood at the exhibition in Delhi.

– In 2015, enterprises of the Ministry of forestry of Belarus plan to harvest 12.7 million m3 of roundwood.

– In 2015-2016, Plitspichprom CJSC (Balabanovo, Kaluga region) plans to build a new chipboard factory and increase production up to 150,000 m3.

– In the Ryazan region, a priority investment project has been completed, which was carried out by Oka-Holz company.

– In early March, Reoplast Sever company intends to open production of concrete admixtures on the site available at Kondopoga pulp and paper mill.

– On 19 January 2015, the Ministry of industry and trade of Russia excluded two companies from the list of priority investment projects, located in the Kirov region.

– In 2014, Titan group harvested 1.57 million m3 of roundwood.

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