According to the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the value of Brazilian exports of wood-based products (excluding pulp and paper) increased 36% year-over-year in September 2021. The value increased from US$283.2 million to US$385.8 million.
News in international markets
Expert says New Zealand’s Log Exports to Peak in 2026 and then Decline by a Third
According to an industry report by the investment house Forsyth Barr, New Zealand’s forestry sector is about to undergo major changes as raw log exports fade due to dwindling supplies and domestic demand increases from the home building industry.
16 Million Seedlings Hand Planted as New South Wales Recovers from the Black Summer Bushfires
More than 16 million pine and hardwood seedling have been hand planted in the New South Wales, Australia’s (NSW) forests this year to help rebuild the forestlands that were destroyed by the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019–2020. The trees will grow for approximately 30-years and then be harvested for renewable timber products.
Mercer International Inc. Plans New Sawmill Investment Project in Arneburg, Germany
Mercer International Inc. has announced that it is once again pursuing a new sawmill investment project for the Saxony-Anhalt, Germany region. The original plans were brought to a standstill due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, during the summer Mercer submitted the building application to the responsible planning office of the Stendal district.
Timber Supply in U.K. Finally Catching Up with Demand
According to the U.K.’s Timber Trades Federation’s (TTF) Nick Boulton, TTF’s head of technical and trade, “After a year of record production and nine months of near record structural softwood imports it is highly likely the UK is at a point where there is sufficient volume of wood at UK ports and in the UK timber supply chain to satisfy construction demand.”
Nova Scotia Forestry Innovation Transition Trust Investing $9.8 Million in the Family Forest Network
Established following the closure of the Northern Pulp Mill in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia in January 2020, the Nova Scotia Forestry Innovation Transition Trust recently announced that it is investing $9.8 million (CAD) in the Family Forest Network (FFN) for a five-year pilot project. It will focus on ecologically sensitive forest treatments on 200 small private wood lots in the province.
China’s New Construction Starts Decline for Sixth Consecutive Month in September
For the sixth month in a row, China’s new construction starts declined in September. This is the longest continuous monthly declines since March–August in 2015. According to Reuters calculations based on January-September data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday (10-18-21), new construction starts in September fell -13.54% from a year earlier, the third month of double-digit declines.
Segezha Group to Purchase All Assets of Inter Forest Rus. for $512 Million
Segezha Group has announced that it has agreed to purchase the assets of LLC Inter Forest Rus from Bonum Capital Ltd for $515 million. Inter Forest’s assets include wood processing and logging enterprises as well as four woodworking plants, one plywood plant, a river fleet of 98 vessels, and a substantial forest resource base in the Krasnoyarsk and Irkutsk regions of Russia.
Koskisen Group Announces 48 Million Euro Investment in Kärkölä, Finland Facility
Koskisen Group, a family-owned Finnish sawmill and panel industry leader, has announced a 48 million Euro investment in Kärkölä, Finland. With production scheduled to start in the summer of 2023, the unit’s new annual production will initially be 400,000 m3 of softwood sawn timber.
EACOM Timber Corp. Turns to International Recruitment to Fill Labor Gap in Northern Ontario and Northern Quebec
A shortage of available workers to fill open positions at EACOM Timber Corp.’s northern Ontario and Quebec sawmills has the company turning to an international recruitment company for assistance. EACOM has been working with the IVEY Group, a Sudbury, Ontario-based international recruitment and consulting firm, for several years to aid them in recruiting and retaining workers in their northern communities.