Hardwood fiber costs for pulp mills worldwide increased modestly at the end of 2020 but were still substantially lower in many markets compared to late 2019

The Global Sawlog Price Index rose 8% in the 4Q/20 as demand for logs was up in North America and Europe

Germany’s export value of logs and lumber has increased 63% the past five years, reaching 2.5 billion dollars in 2020

The forecasted growth in wood pellet production in Europe will increase competition for wood fiber and require new feedstock sources

China is the world’s largest importer of softwood and hardwood logs, and for many decades, Russia has been a significant log supplier for them.

The Global Sawlog Price Index rose 8% in the 4Q/20 as demand for logs increased throughout North America and Europe.

Russia exported 15 million m3 of logs in 2020, which accounted for almost 12% of globally traded roundwood.

Times have been good for lumber producers in 2020, with profitability rising worldwide. Most countries tracked by the Wood Resource Quarterly have had their highest gross margins in at least two years, with North America standing out as the continent with the most spectacular profit improvements.

Lumber trade fell slightly in Europe in 2020. During the first eight months, shipments from the major exporting countries were down 1.2% - the first y-o-y decline in eight years, reports the WRQ.

In the 3Q/20, the Global Hardwood Fiber Price Index (HFPI) was up by 1.6% to $81.17/odmt, following a 16-year low in the previous quarter.

Strong lumber sales and a weakening US dollar moved sawlog prices upward in many markets worldwide in the 3Q/20. The most significant price increases occurred in Western US, Northern and Eastern Europe, and Oceania.

Australia’s role as a hardwood chip supplier to China and Japan has dramatically diminished in 2020, with shipments having fallen by 34% from last year

Forest products exported from Brazil and Chile fell 26% during the first half of 2020, with wood pulp being the product that declined the most

Softwood log exports from Russia have been in steady decline for the past 15 years and could reach zero in 2022 if President Putin’s new log export ban is implemented.

European lumber exporters have expanded their sales overseas from 30% to 45% over the past ten years, with Asia receiving a fifth of total exports in 2020, reports the Wood Resource Quarterly

WRI’s Hardwood Fiber Price Index fell to a 16-year low in the 2Q/20, driven by lower pulplog prices in Brazil, Russia and Eastern Canada

Sawlog prices fell in most of the major regions of the world in the 2Q/20. A strengthening US dollar, weaker log demand early in the quarter, and sufficient log supply in some markets contributed to the lower prices.

Germany continued to export logs at record pace in early 2020, with almost 50% of the volume destined for China

Wood fiber costs fell for many hardwood pulp-producing countries worldwide in the 1Q/20.

There were relatively few price changes for sawlogs throughout the world in the 1Q/20 despite interruptions in trade and uncertainty in short-term lumber demand in many of the key markets.

The Coronavirus Epidemic has negatively impacted the supply chains for numerous industry sectors worldwide the past few months.