Europe’s sawlog market has been turbulent over the past three years, with wood demand falling, log flows shifting, and sawlog prices going through unprecedented swings.

During the past three years, prices for hardwood fiber have increased at a much faster rate than for softwood fiber, resulting in the Global Hardwood Fiber Price Index jumping 44%.

The two largest log-trading regions in Europe are Central Europe (where Austria, Czech Republic, and Germany are the major importers) and Northern Europe (Finland and Sweden are the two log-importing countries).

Wood raw-material costs for sawmills in North America and Europe eased in the 3Q/22 as demand and prices for lumber fell.

A halt in Russian log exports and reduced wood demand in China contributed to a 20% decline in international softwood log trade in the 1H/22.

The world's thirst for renewable energy continues, and demand for wood pellets—mostly made from sawmill byproducts—is increasing. As a result, the total global wood pellet trade in 2021 was up 9% YoY to 29 million tons, 50% higher than in 2017.

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