Shortages Push German Timber Prices to 35-Year High

Germany’s timber market is facing severe supply shortages, with sawmills warning of an “existential crisis” as log inventories decline, BR24 reported (10-9-25).

In Upper Bavaria, timber trader Matthias Birnkammer told BR24 that prices for spruce and pine have surged to record levels ahead of the heating season. “If I’m honest, it’s chaos every year in autumn,” he said, noting that his own warehouses remain full after advance purchases earlier this year.

Germany’s Federal Association of the Wood Industry said that fresh log deliveries have slowed dramatically, leaving sawmills without sufficient raw material. In an open letter, the group warned that without increased felling of spruce and pine in the coming weeks, the shortage could escalate into an “existential crisis for the sawmill and wood industry” by early 2026.

Experts at the State Institute for Forestry and Forestry attribute the bottleneck to an unusually wet and cool summer that curtailed bark beetle infestations and storm damage—two key sources of salvage wood. About half of Bavaria’s timber supply normally comes from such damaged wood, which is now lacking in the market.

The association is urging forest owners to harvest spruce and pine to meet sawmill demand, while forestry experts say the moment also presents an opportunity to accelerate the transition to more climate-resilient mixed forests.

According to the Forest Farmers’ Association in Deggendorf, roundwood prices have climbed to nearly €130 per cubic meter—the highest level in 35 years.