![\"\"](\"https:\/\/timberindustrynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/09\/lumber99-36-1024x538.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Wood prices in Europe have fallen sharply. Wood sales have plummeted massively. Forest owners report that due to the difficult wood market situation, there are hardly any regular uses, and the outlook is not much better.<\/p>\n
The drop in sales of almost all wood products has overwhelmed the entire industry for several months, according to forest owner associations. The sawmill industry still faces significant sales difficulties with lumber. Production quantities have already been significantly reduced, and the reductions in cutting volumes have resulted in a noticeable sales backlog. The consequences for the wood sales of forest owners and wood prices have been catastrophic.<\/p>\n
As reasons for the crisis in the wood market, forest owners and sawmills cite the massive decline in the construction industry and an oversupply of lumber in Germany and Europe. At the same time, prices are under pressure in export markets, and sales are stagnant. On the other hand, there is an oversupply of wood, mainly caused by the bark beetle. Additionally, windfall wood from the thunderstorms in recent months has added to the surplus. This means that forest farmers and forest owners are likely to have only limited sales volumes in the coming weeks.<\/p>\n
Construction industry crashes \u2013 Construction and industrial wood plummet<\/strong><\/p>\n The main reason for the drop in sales for sawmills is the significant problems in the construction sector in Germany and the USA. J\u00f6rg Dittrich, the President of the Central Association of German Crafts (ZDH), has warned of a collapse of the construction industry. \"We are racing towards a wall in construction at high speed, and the federal government simply cannot hit the brakes,\" Dittrich told \"Bild am Sonntag.\" \"The construction industry, with its 2.33 million employees, is a key sector for the crafts. And this sector is currently on the brink of complete collapse,\" Dittrich said.<\/p>\n Projects that were decided and financed several years ago are still being carried out. However, financing for future projects has plummeted significantly. \"If the government does not intervene, this will result in a reduction in capacity,\" Dittrich continued. This is also evident in the so-called \"producer prices for commercial products\" that reflect the industry's selling prices. In August, due to sales problems, wood prices saw a massive decline. According to Destatis, in July 2023, wood was already 28.9% cheaper than in July 2022, and wooden packaging materials were sold 27.4% cheaper.<\/p>\n Wood prices under significant pressure<\/strong><\/p>\n This has a noticeable impact on wood prices for forest owners. Some sawmills still offer only a mixed price for beetle-infested wood. The price situation in the lumber market remains very unclear and varies significantly by region. Existing contracts have been canceled by buyers in some cases. There are hardly any new contracts, and they are only offered at significantly reduced prices for short periods.<\/p>\n For spruce wood of 2b+ quality, prices are now between 80 and 85 euros per cubic meter, and for beetle-infested wood, they range from 60 to 65 euros per cubic meter. For spruce D-grade wood, the press releases indicate prices ranging from about 50 to 60 euros per cubic meter. With the price drop in spruce, the sales of pine have almost come to a complete standstill in many cases. For pine wood of 2b+ quality, the few price reports range from 60 to 70 EUR per cubic meter. For pine pallet wood, prices of 55 to 60 euros per cubic meter were recently mentioned.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Wood prices in Europe have fallen sharply. Wood sales have plummeted massively. Forest owners report that due to the difficult wood market situation, there are hardly any regular uses, and the outlook is not much better. The drop in sales … Continue reading