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Recently, there has also been a significant rise in wood prices in the Polish wholesale market, which are now comparable to costs in Germany and Sweden. Economic recovery after the pandemic stimulated demand for wood, while sanctions imposed on Russia and Belarus after the invasion of Ukraine limited supply. Simultaneously, State Forests, the body that manages Poland\u2019s forests, introduced a new price-setting policy.<\/p>\n
In 2021, State Forests increased the share of open auctions to 30% from 20% with closed auctions thereby reduced to 70% from 80%. Closed auctions are reserved for customers who made purchases from State Forests in previous years, and prices are generally lower compared to open bids.<\/p>\n
Aneta Muska\u0142a, President of the Association of Polish Papermakers, told Notes from Poland that the overall volume of wood offered to the industry has also lessened compared to previous years. As a result, prices grew sharply, especially in open auctions, Muska\u0142a says.<\/p>\n
In the second quarter of 2022, average prices for practically all wood types in Poland were tens of percent higher than a year earlier, and in extreme cases they doubled, according to a report by Bank Pekao.<\/p>\n
For example, prices for beech timber at open auction in the second half of 2022 averaged 613 zloty per cubic meter (EUR 130\/m3), more than double the 305 zloty (EUR 65\/m3) in the same period of 2021. Prices for birch skyrocketed to 626 zloty (EUR 133\/m3) from 185 zloty (EUR 40\/m3).<\/p>\n
Poland's State Forests spokesperson Micha\u0142 Gzowski acknowledges that prices have gone up, but attributes the increase to the economic recovery after the pandemic. The demand for wood is growing, while the supply is restricted by forest regeneration possibilities, he says.<\/p>\n
\u201cBusinesses that benefit from high profits from production are competing for access to wood, and prices are rising,\u201d Gzowski told Notes from Poland.<\/p>\n
Side effects of sanctions<\/strong><\/p>\n While wood costs have risen across the continent, ResourceWise, an analytics firm, noted in November that Central Europe has seen the highest increases, with sawlog prices almost doubling over the previous two years.<\/p>\n By comparison, the Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI), representing 20 regions worldwide, increased by 34% over the two years to October 2022.<\/p>\n As production costs grow, manufacturers have to accept lower margins. The Polish furniture industry ended 2021 with record sales but also the lowest profitability in three years, according to OIGPM.<\/p>\n In addition, competition with producers from Romania, Bulgaria, and Belarus has intensified. Paradoxically, Belarus has strengthened its position on the furniture market after the introduction of sanctions, Strzelecki says.<\/p>\n \u201cThe sanctions are not consistent. Poland cannot buy raw materials from Belarus, so it lost the market to buy panels or raw wood. But at the same time there is no ban on furniture, which is about 30-40% cheaper compared to Polish furniture,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n Belarus, and to a lesser extent Ukraine and Russia, used to be an important source of Polish timber imports and wood products. Before the war, Poland imported nearly 40% of its semi-finished wood products from these countries, according to Bank Pekao.<\/p>\n In 2023, OIGPM expects a further fall in production volume of up to 30%. \u201cIt\u2019s difficult to see the new year with any optimism,\u201d concludes Strzelecki.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Recently, there has also been a significant rise in wood prices in the Polish wholesale market, which are now comparable to costs in Germany and Sweden. Economic recovery after the pandemic stimulated demand for wood, while sanctions imposed on Russia … Continue reading