Stora Enso increased its wood procurement volume by 6.3% year-on-year to approximately 2.7 million m\u00b3 during the first four months of 2026. The increase comes despite a significantly weaker Finnish timber market, where first sales from private forests were around 25% lower in the first half of the year compared with the same period of 2025.<\/p>\n
The higher procurement volumes reflect growing raw material requirements following the start-up of the new consumer board line in Oulu and the acquisition of the Junnikkala sawmill operations. Stora Enso has stated that it plans to purchase more wood from Finnish private forests in 2026 than in recent years as these investments increase demand for fibre and sawlogs.<\/p>\n
According to Tuomas Tiilikainen, Director of Stora Enso's Private Forest Owners Business, overall market conditions have remained reasonably good despite uncertainty in the global economy and geopolitical tensions.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have worked tirelessly during the winter to achieve our purchase goals. There have been many purchase negotiations, but not all of our efforts have yet led to deals,\u201d Tiilikainen said.<\/p>\n
Although timber trade activity has been slower than expected, Stora Enso reported that its pulpwood procurement volumes are in line with last year's level and that the company has increased its market share in wood purchasing.<\/p>\n
Demand supported by Oulu and Junnikkala<\/strong><\/p>\n Stora Enso's growing need for raw material is linked to recent investments in Finland.<\/p>\n The company completed the conversion of a former paper machine at Oulu into a consumer board production line, adding substantial packaging board capacity. At the same time, the acquisition of Junnikkala expanded Stora Enso's sawmilling operations in northern Finland and strengthened its access to raw material.<\/p>\n In its first-quarter 2026 report, Stora Enso highlighted higher delivery volumes, supported by the ramp-up of the Oulu facility and the contribution from Junnikkala. The company reported sales of \u20ac2.36 billion for the January-March period, while adjusted EBIT reached \u20ac159 million.<\/p>\n The group also reported an \u20ac81 million reduction in variable costs compared with the first quarter of 2025. Lower wood, chemical and logistics costs were among the factors supporting profitability during the period.<\/p>\n Wood prices remain stable<\/strong><\/p>\n Despite the slowdown in timber trading, Stora Enso said demand for wood remains strong and prices have stabilized at a good level.<\/p>\n The company noted that spruce log prices have continued to increase slightly, while both log and pulpwood prices remain well above the levels seen at the beginning of the decade.<\/p>\n Tiilikainen said the market has largely found a balance and that no major price movements are expected in the near term, although regional differences may occur depending on local supply and demand.<\/p>\n According to data from the Finnish Forest Industries Federation, average stumpage prices during the latest four-week period were:<\/p>\n Spruce logs continue to achieve the highest prices, averaging close to \u20ac84\/m\u00b3.<\/p>\n The federation notes that actual prices can vary considerably between harvesting sites depending on stand size, timber quality, harvesting conditions, transport distances and local competition among buyers.<\/p>\n Procurement competition likely to remain strong<\/strong><\/p>\n The Finnish timber market has started the year slowly, but industrial demand remains firm.<\/p>\n Stora Enso said it continues to seek summer thinning operations and final fellings of spruce stands. The company expects wood demand to remain strong throughout the year as production volumes increase at recently expanded operations.<\/p>\n With prices remaining at historically high levels and major forest industry companies competing for raw material, procurement activity in Finland is expected to remain active during the second half of 2026.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Stora Enso increased its wood procurement volume by 6.3% year-on-year to approximately 2.7 million m\u00b3 during the first four months of 2026. The increase comes despite a significantly weaker Finnish timber market, where first sales from private forests were around … Continue reading \n\n
\n \nAssortment<\/th>\n Regeneration felling (\u20ac\/m\u00b3)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Pine logs<\/td>\n 80.47<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Spruce logs<\/td>\n 83.88<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Birch logs<\/td>\n 63.03<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Pine pulpwood<\/td>\n 25.79<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Spruce pulpwood<\/td>\n 26.40<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Birch pulpwood<\/td>\n 26.24<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n