Logs in all Baltic nations were transacted at far higher prices over 2017, feeding into what is strong growth in the price of sawn softwood. In fact, all reported grades, from all countries, experienced rising prices. Although some log prices rose extensively over the year, there were few surprises, with log prices feeding into strong demand and prices growth for sawnwood and a range of other wood and paper products.
Baltic Pine log prices were up across the board over 2017, as the chart below shows. The sharpest rise was reserved for Estonian logs, the price of which rose 19% over 2017, to USD83/m3 in the December Quarter. Even the sluggish Norwegian Baltic Pine logs experienced 6% price growth over the year, rising to USD56/m3, as the chart below shows.
To go straight to the dashboard and take a closer look at the data, click here.
The situation was similar for Baltic Spruce logs, but the differences in pricing remain smaller than those for Baltic Pine logs. Again, the two outliers are Estonia, whose Spruce logs averaged USD82/m3 in the December quarter, and Norway, whose Spruce logs averaged USD60/m3 over the same period.
To go straight to the dashboard and take a closer look at the data, click here.
A smaller group of Birch log prices is available. The lowest priced Finnish supplies averaged USD57/m3 in the December quarter, rising 3.2% over the year, while the highest priced Lithuanian supply averaged USD91/m3, having risen a significant 24.7% over the year.
To go straight to the dashboard and take a closer look at the data, click here.
Most log prices are also rising in the US, and Australia’s log export experience shows log prices increasing progressively over 2017.
Evidence – including latest log and sawnwood prices – suggest there is still room for higher log prices over the next few months.
