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The Latvian wood market in April and May was still dictated by the state of emergency declared at the beginning of April to fight the bark beetle. In accordance with the established restrictions of the emergency situation, spruce felling will be strictly limited until the end of June, which means that not only the volume of Latvian wood on the market is shrinking, but also the forest development industry is stagnating.<\/span><\/p>\n Also, contrary to expectations, the prices of sawlogs experienced a moderate drop in May, and due to low demand, stockpiles are starting to build up in the market. On the other hand, the price of firewood, as previously predicted, experienced its lowest point in May, according to the information collected by the largest forest auction system in Latvia \"E-silva\".<\/p>\n The anticipation of the resumption of the construction season in April brought with it the hope that the demand for softwood sawlogs could increase in May, thus increasing its value on the market. However, contrary to that, both the increase in inflation and the increase in interest rates by the European Central Bank have had a significant impact on the construction industry - construction has become more expensive and the construction of new housing has decreased. As a result, the demand for finished wood products, such as boards, has decreased. As a result of the chain reaction, the demand for roundwood is also decreasing, so the price of sawlogs in the wood market is decreasing, albeit moderately. It is difficult to predict the general dynamics of the wood market in the future.<\/p>\n The construction season has started, but the price of sawlogs is falling<\/strong><\/p>\n After the stability of the average price of softwood sawlogs in autumn and winter, in May it fell in all categories under the influence of the reduction of both bark beetle and construction volumes. In May, compared to April, the average price decreased the fastest in the thin sawn log category, with the average price of spruce thin sawn logs decreasing by 12% and reaching EUR 76 per cubic meter, but the average price of pine thin sawn logs decreasing by almost 14% to EUR 75 per cubic meter. In the medium sawlog category, the average prices have experienced a decline in the range of 9% to 10%, whereas in the thick sawlog category - in the range of 8% to 11%.<\/p>\n The price of birch continues a moderate decline<\/strong><\/p>\n In May, similarly to March and April, the average price of birch veneer logs continued to fall, and a little faster than in April, reaching almost 140 euros per cubic meter. Compared to April, this is a decrease of about 2%, but compared to this year's highest average price in January and February, the price has decreased by about 5%, or 7.75 euros per cubic meter.<\/p>\n The price of firewood has reached its lowest point<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite the slight fluctuations in the price of aspen firewood in the period from March to May, at some point the price temporarily increased between 55 and 58 euros per cubic meter, at the end of May the price of aspen firewood returned to the price level of March and April - 50 euros per cubic meter, respectively reaching the lowest point in May.<\/p>\n In May, the price of pulpwood is still falling<\/strong><\/p>\n In May, although slower than in previous months, the highest price of birch pulpwood continued to fall, decreasing to 65 euros per cubic meter. Compared to the beginning of this year, when the highest price of birch paperwood gradually continued to fall every month, in May it has decreased by almost 24% in a four-month period. The price of spruce and pine pulpwood also continues to decline, reaching 62 euros per cubic meter in May.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Latvian wood market in April and May was still dictated by the state of emergency declared at the beginning of April to fight the bark beetle. In accordance with the established restrictions of the emergency situation, spruce felling will … Continue reading