The Global Forest Industry in the 1Q/2013: Excerpts from the Wood Resource Quarterly
Global Timber Markets
• Sawlog prices were up in practically all regions covered by the WRQ in the 1Q/13, but they were still generally lower than they were in the 1Q/12. The biggest increases from the previous quarter occurred in Western US, Latvia, Finland and Sweden. The Global Sawlog Price Index (GSPI) was up 2.4 percent to US$86.33/m3 from the 4Q/12, the biggest quarter-to-quarter increase since early 2011.
Global Pulpwood Prices
• Wood fiber prices were generally down in North America and up in the rest of the world during the 1Q/13. The Softwood Wood Fiber Price Index (SFPI) in the 1Q/13 was practically unchanged at $99.90/odmt from the 4Q/12. The SFPI has inched downward for seven consecutive quarters and is currently down 8.8 percent from the most recent peak in 2Q/11. The biggest changes in US dollar
terms in the 1Q/13 were the declines in chip prices in Eastern Canada (-12.4%),
Japan (-8.6%), Western Canada (-7.8%) and the US Northwest (-4.2%). The biggest increases came in France (+10%) and Germany (+6.9%).
(WRI Wood Resources International LLC, Wood Resource Quarterly (WRQ))
