Continued increase in felling costs 2021

Nyhet | Statistik - 21 June 2022

The cost of felling increased by 2 per cent in 2021, according to new statistics from the Swedish Forest Agency and Skogforsk. Costs have risen every year since 2017, by 15 percent in all. The producer price index has risen by 17 percent during the same period.

Since 2020 the costs, on average for the whole country, have increased by:

• 2 percent to SEK 109 per cubic metre for regeneration felling and transportation of the roundwood to roadside.
• 5 percent to SEK 221 per cubic metre for thinning and transportation to roadside.

The cost for regeneration felling increased in both northern and southern Sweden during 2021. The largest increase was in northern Sweden by 4 percent, while the cost rose by 1 percent in southern Sweden.

This is the highest level since 2005 when the same cost was SEK 110. In 2005 the storm Gudrun damaged roughly 75 million cubic metres of wood, about equal to the annual felling in Sweden. That caused an increase in the cost of regeneration felling by 57 percent between 2004 and 2005 to SEK 124 per cubic metre. 

The cost of thinning is at its highest level during the years these statistics have been produced, since 1996. During these years the cost of thinning has increased by 45 percent, while the producer price index has risen by 49 percent.

This survey also includes estimations on fellings that were more difficult because the forest was damaged by fires, storms, insects or fungal disease. The costs of these fellings due to natural disasters were 22 percent higher than ordinary regeneration felling in 2021. That is lower than 2020 when the cost of these more difficult fellings was 32 percent higher.

Costs for silvicultural measures and pre-commercial thinning

The costs for:

• clear-cut cleaning has increased by 5 percent to SEK 1 600 per hectare
• scarification has decreased by 2 percent to SEK 2 400 per hectare
• planting (including plants) has increased by 2 percent to SEK 6 040 per hectare
• sowing has increased by 3 percent to SEK 5 120 per hectare
• precommercial thinning has increased by 2 percent to SEK 2 810 per hectare

Previous errors in estimations

The historical data for these statistics have been further examined and a prolonged timeseries has been published starting in 1996, previously the starting year was 1998. Some errors were detected regarding estimations for all felling during 1998 and 1999 in southern Sweden. The costs have been published wrongly as SEK 77 and 79 per cubic metre for 1998 and 1999 but should be SEK 99 and 97 per cubic metre. The estimations have been corrected during this annual publication.

Explanation

These statistics are volume weighted or area-weighted and relate to current prices. The survey population is large scale forestry with an ownership of more than 16 000 ha forest land or an annual felling of more than 50 000 m³.

The survey is a collaboration between the Swedish Forest Agency and Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden) and is included in Sweden’s official statistics.

For a comparison with other price developments in the economy the producer price index or home market price index is recommended, it is made available by Statistics Sweden here: Producer and import price index (scb.se)

The estimations are also available in the web-based statistical database.