Auctions at the Ukrainian Energy Exchange for untreated timber last week showed the following results:
- Exhibited volume was 148,33 th. c. m;
- Sold timber 134,37 th. c. m;
- Timber sales value was UAH 518,64 mln. (incl. VAT);
- Forestry agencies received additional income during the English auction in the amount of UAH 112,10 mln. (incl. VAT).
Untreated timber was sold by forestry enterprises from 6 regions of Ukraine. The largest volume was sold in Ivano-Frankivsk region.
Distribution of untreated timber sales was as follows: 74% - round timber, 26% - firewood.
Round timber
During the reporting period, 99,22 thousand cubic meters of roundwood were sold for a total amount of UAH 450,96 million (incl. VAT).
Spruce, beech and fir were the most popular species sold, with their share in the total structure amounting to 71,82%, 10,28% and 9,12%, respectively. We also sold pine, oak, red oak, alder, birch and other species.
On average, the growth from the starting price was recorded at 20%. Given that the auction step is 1%, the average number of steps was 64 for alder, 27 for fir, and 23 for spruce.
Firewood
During the reporting period, firewood sales amounted to 35,15 thousand cubic meters for UAH 67,68 million (incl. VAT).
The vast majority of firewood (99%) was sold for industrial use, while 1% was sold for non-industrial use.
Spruce and beech firewood were in the highest demand among firewood, accounting for 53% and 15%, respectively.
The graph below shows the structure of firewood sales by grade and species.
Price indices
Oak showed the most significant increase in roundwood prices, with the weighted average price reaching UAH 39069,35 per cubic meter including VAT.
The most significant drop in prices was recorded for beech, with the weighted average price index falling to UAH 4412,51 per cubic meter including VAT, down 22% from a week earlier.
Weighted average timber price index, for June 9-13, 2025
| Species | UAH/c. m. (incl. VAT) |
|---|---|
| Silver birch | 4,648.57 |
| Forest beech | 4,412.51 |
| Black alder | 6,231.86 |
| Common oak | 39,069.35 |
| Common pine | 4,113.62 |
| European spruce | 4 345.85 |
| White fir | 4,433.44 |
| Common ash | 8,139.66 |
The price index for industrial firewood increased the most, reaching UAH 1930,69 per cubic meter including VAT, which is 4% higher than in the previous period.
Among all types of firewood, the cost of the third group decreased the most, which now amounts to UAH 828,00 per cubic meter including VAT.
Overview of news on the timber market in Europe
Germany is facing a softwood shortage - “Prices are rising by euros every week”
In Germany, the drought is driving deforestation, especially in the south, where spruce logs are being actively harvested due to high demand and favorable dry weather. At the same time, the northern regions of the country are suffering from a shortage of coniferous timber, which is partially offset by supplies from the south.
The situation is further complicated by the effects of previous bark beetle epidemics, which have reduced the supply of quality timber. Demand for lumber is growing, exports have picked up, and prices are rising: in spring, spruce logs cost 105-115 EUR/m³, pine logs 80-90 EUR/m³, although the quality of the latter is inferior to Finnish pine.
Thousands of woodworking companies in Poland face closure due to sharp decline in supplies
Polish State Forestry Administration has significantly reduced the volume of large-sized timber harvesting, which critically affects the operation of sawmills and the entire woodworking sector. According to Piotr Poziomski, president of the Polish Chamber of Woodworking Industry, “thousands of companies could go bankrupt as a result.”
The reason was the ban on deforestation of 96000 hectares of ecologically valuable forests introduced in January 2024 by the Ministry of Climate, as well as plans to withdraw several hundred thousand hectares from forest use. As a result, the market may lose more than 5 million cubic meters of wood in two years.
Why is logging in Sweden declining despite growing demand?
According to the Swedish Forestry Agency, logging in Sweden continued to decline in 2024, despite growing demand from the forest industry, which caused an imbalance in the market.
“Harvesting volumes decreased by 2%, while the industry was ready to pay record prices,” explained Christian Nielsen, an analyst at the agency. "Despite the fact that demand is now lower than during the pandemic, the supply of wood is decreasing.
Among the reasons are large-scale felling at the beginning of the pandemic and the effects of the spread of bark beetles, which shifted the emphasis to thinning instead of full felling. This reduced the availability of resources. In addition, the industry mistakenly expected domestic supply to meet demand.
To compensate for the deficit, last year Sweden stepped up timber imports from neighboring countries. Nielsen emphasized that the volume of logging remains within the long-term strategy of sustainable forest management.