Reduced timber stocks in June

Nyhet | Statistik - 11 August 2022

Stocks of softwood saw logs decreased by 9 percent in June compared to earlier this spring, according to the Swedish Forest Agency's inventory survey. Stocks of pulpwood also decreased slightly.

Compared to the last survey on March 31, the total stock of softwood sawlogs decreased by 9 percent to 2.9 million cubic meters. The stocks at industry were 1.6 million cubic meters, while the stocks at road and terminal amounted to 0.9 and 0.5 million cubic meters, respectively. Compared to March 31, the stocks of softwood sawlogs by road have decreased while stocks at industry and at the terminal have increased, which is normal for the season. With some changes in the survey this year, it is not possible to make any firm comparisons with the situation last year concerning softwood sawlogs.

Pulpwood stocks also decreased in early summer, but by a moderate 4 percent to 5 million cubic metres. Although stocks of spruce pulpwood and hardwood pulpwood decreased sharply, as the stock of softwood pulpwood increased by 3 percent, this does not mean a large decrease in the total stock.

On 30 June, stocks of softwood pulpwood amounted to 3.8 million cubic metres, spruce pulpwood to 0.5 million cubic metres and hardwood pulpwood to 0.6 million cubic metres. We should be careful with comparisons with previous years even for pulpwood due to the changes we made in the survey this year.

Distributed by storage site, 28 percent of pulpwood was in industry, 34 percent in terminal and 38 percent by road.

Regional differences

Stocks of softwood sawlogs have decreased during early summer in all timber balance areas.

Stocks of pulpwood also decreased in all timber balance areas except in balance area 4, the southern part of Sweden. The increase in the south of the country is probably due to increased fellings of spruce bark beetle-damaged forest.

Explanation

The cubic metre referred to is m3f ub, solid cubic metres without bark

Wood balance regions (WBR)

1. Västernorrland, Västerbotten, Norrbotten and Jämtland counties (exclusive Härjedalen municipality)
2. Stockholm, Uppsala, Gotland, Västmanland, Dalarna and Gävleborg counties and Härjedalen municipality.
3. Västra Götaland (exclusive Ale, Lerum, Vårgårda, Bollebygd, Tranemo, Lilla Edet, Mark, Svenljunga, Herrljunga, Vänersborg, Trollhättan, Alingsås, Borås and Ulricehamn municipalities), Värmland and Örebro counties and Habo and Mullsjö municipalities.
4. Södermanland, Östergötland, Jönköping (exclusive Habo and Mullsjö municipalities), Kronoberg, Kalmar, Blekinge, Skåne och Halland counties and the municipalities of Ale, Lerum, Vårgårda, Bollebygd, Tranemo, Lilla Edet, Mark, Svenljunga, Herrljunga, Vänersborg, Trollhättan, Alingsås, Borås and Ulricehamn).

The survey is part of the Official Statistics of Sweden.

All results are found in our Statistical database.