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The softwood markets in France are not really easy to follow. Prices for Douglas fir, for example, have been constantly fluctuating since 2020, and even the most knowledgeable professionals struggle to see clearly.<\/span><\/p>\n \"We indeed lack visibility, and it is very difficult to make predictions, even in the short term. No one had anticipated what has been happening for the past two years,\" says Jean-Philippe Bazot, who refuses to make any predictions, despite his expertise. As a forest operator and sawmill owner from Morvan, he presides over the France Douglas association, among other professional responsibilities.<\/p>\n The COVID crisis, followed by the Russo-Ukrainian conflict, has disrupted the paradigms. In the three years leading up to 2020, the value of standing Douglas fir in the forest had steadily increased at an average annual rate of +10%. Logs of 2 m\u00b3 that were selling for \u20ac60\/m\u00b3 standing in 2018 were starting at \u20ac75\/m\u00b3 at the beginning of 2020. However, the sudden halt of activities changed everything.<\/p>\n \"After the post-COVID recovery, the prices of Douglas fir, like many other raw materials, skyrocketed within a year,\" observes Jean-Philippe Bazot. Unprecedented price levels for Douglas fir in France were reached. In some sales, logs of 3 m\u00b3 were negotiated at \u20ac110-115\/m\u00b3 and higher. But the boom couldn't last.<\/p>\n Jean-Philippe Bazot explains that starting from spring 2022, the consequences of the war in Ukraine began to be felt. \"The demand for Douglas fir, especially for export, plummeted abruptly. This resulted in a degradation of purchase prices in the forest, which I estimate to have declined by 25% to 35% within a year, depending on the regions and wood quality.\"<\/p>\n Where do we stand at the end of the first half of 2023? \"I believe that today, the prices of standing Douglas fir have returned to the level of those in 2018-2019,\" estimates Jean-Philippe Bazot. The latest sales confirm his assessment. In the Massif Central, in recent private auctions, the demand from sawmills has been expressed at a satisfactory level, resulting in low levels of unsold stock.<\/p>\n Following a sale by Experts Forestiers de France, Luc Detruy, the coordinating expert of the auction, indicated that logs of 1 m\u00b3 to 2 m\u00b3, which could barely sell for an average of \u20ac69\/m\u00b3 in October 2022, are now being negotiated around \u20ac86\/m\u00b3. \"The average prices of standing and debarked Douglas fir obtained in the session are approaching the \u20ac94\/m\u00b3 that we obtained in July 2022,\" notes Luc Detruy (see table below).<\/p>\n However, this return to a certain normality is threatened by the overall sluggishness of our domestic market. The construction indices, at their lowest, greatly concern professionals. The situation is not much better among our neighboring German, Belgian, and Dutch importers of French Douglas fir lumber. In these conditions, caution prevails among Douglas fir specialists who buy on a day-to-day basis.<\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>AFTER THE FALL, STABILIZATION OF THE DOUGLAS PRICES IN THE MASSIF CENTRAL<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>Bulk and standing price, in euros\/m3 under bark<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0<\/span>According to Experts Forestiers de France auctions<\/span> <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n Volume<\/span><\/p>\n unitary<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Q4 2018<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Q4 2019<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Q4 2020<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Q4 2021<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Q4 2022<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n Q2 2023 (1)<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 1 m3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 47<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 57.25<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 64.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 98.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 56<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 65<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 1,5 m3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 56<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 63.75<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 69.7<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 104<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 60.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 70<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 2 m3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 63<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 68<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 73<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 107.75<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 63.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 75<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 2,5 m3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 68<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 71.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 75,75<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 110.8<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 66<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 78<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 3 m3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 71.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n -<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 78<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 113.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 67.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 82<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n 3,5 m3<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n -<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n -<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 80<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 115.5<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 69<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n 85<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n ","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The softwood markets in France are not really easy to follow. Prices for Douglas fir, for example, have been constantly fluctuating since 2020, and even the most knowledgeable professionals struggle to see clearly. “We indeed lack visibility, and it is … Continue reading \n\n
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