The trend of decreasing delivery prices in Sweden continued during the third quarter of 2020, according to new statistics from the Swedish Forest Agency. The price of pulpwood decreased by 5.9 percent and the sawlog price by 3.0 percent, in comparison with the second quarter of 2020. There was one exception in the Northern region of the country where prices on pulpwood increased by 1,4 percent.
Swedish pulpwood prices have been declining the last five quarters. The sharpest decrease came in the most recent quarter, the third quarter of 2020 by 5.9 percent. The largest decline in pulpwood prices was in the Central region of Sweden by 6.4 percent and 5.6 percent in the Southern region. However, prices increased slightly in the Northern region by 1.4 percent.
Sawlog prices in Sweden have been decreasing or almost unchanged for the past seven quarters. The greatest decrease was last year, during the third quarter of 2019, by 5.5 percent. This third quarter of 2020 had sawlog prices declining by 3.0 percent. Prices decreased the most in the Southern region by 3.9 percent, in the Central Region by 2.0 percent and 0.5 percent in the Northern region. All comparisons above are with the previous quarter.
Greater decline in comparison with third quarter 2019
The decline in prices is larger if focus is shifted to comparing with the same quarter last year. Pulpwood prices in Sweden decreased by 12.6 percent and sawlog prices by 6.2 percent during the year.
Pulpwood prices declined by 14.1 percent in the Southern region, by 13.9 percent in the Central region of the country and 5.3 percent in the Northern region.
Sawlog prices in the Central region had the sharpest decrease, 7.6 percent. The Southern region had a 5.2 percent decrease and the Northern region had a smaller decrease in price by 3.2 percent.
The decline in prices has therefore been lower in the Northern region for both sawlog an pulpwood prices.