Lower
prices for pulp logs and wood chips in some major markets, and a strengthening
US dollar resulted in lower wood fiber price indices in the 2Q/13, according to
the Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ) published by Wood Resources International.
Over
the past two years, hardwood fiber costs for the pulp industry have declined
more than softwood fiber prices. The "Hardwood Wood Fiber Price
Index" (HFPI) has fallen every quarter except one, during this period. In
the 2Q/13, the HFPI was US$100.46, which was 3.1 % lower than the previous
quarter and 14.8 % below the all-time high in the 3Q/11. The biggest price
declines since the first quarter of 2013 have occurred in France, Japan,
Australia, Russia and Germany. Comparing wood fiber costs for the global pulp
industry, which typically ranges between 50-70 % of the production costs,
reveals that since 2011, pulp mills in Japan, Brazil and Spain have seen their
fiber costs come down the most of the major hardwood pulp-producing countries
in the world.
