In the Baltic countries and Sweden, pulpwood prices began to decline in the summer due to the industrial market situation. In the Baltics, the roadside price level of overbark pulpwood is below Finnish prices; in Sweden, it is at approximately the same level.
Our wood purchases were successful in the early part of the year, supported by the renewed price guarantee model and implemented member campaigns. We will continue active wood purchases. We remain especially interested in stands available for summer harvesting and wood from delivery sales, as well as crown wood in terms of energy wood.
In the first half of the year, delivery volumes increased significantly, amounting to 16.6 million cubic metres (15.2 million in 2024). The first quarter was excellent, but declining end product demand reduced our delivery volumes in the second quarter. Our wood supply situation is good.
Records were set in forest owners’ customer experience, as well as in occupational safety and forest services sales. Wood Supply employees had a 196-day accident-free period during the early part of the year. Forest services sales increased by more than a fifth from the corresponding period last year, and member sales even more than this. Some resources remain for young stand management this autumn. It pays to act quickly to ensure your young stands are in good growth condition.
In the early part of the year, no environmental deviations related to the Forest Act or the Nature Conservation Act were observed in our operations, but one certification deviation was reported. Compared to the volume of operations, this result can be considered excellent. The popularity of the Metsä Group Plus management model, which emphasises forest biodiversity, continued to be strong. The model was used in nearly a third of standing sales in the first half of the year.
We sold our Latvian wood supply company to ACA Timber, a Latvian company, in the second quarter.
We are preparing for the EU Deforestation Regulation, and our information systems are ready for it. There are likely to be changes to forest legislation. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry launched an extensive package of measures aimed at strengthening forest carbon sinks in the long term. This is expected to mean amendments to the Forest Act in terms of stocking density and the time limits for regeneration. Working groups appointed by the Ministry are continuing to plan the national implementation of the Nature Restoration Regulation.
The ongoing lively debate about forests shows that forests are perceived as important. The focus of the debate has shifted from climate policy to trade in natural values and forestry’s impact on waterbodies. If properly executed and targeted at implementing national commitments, trade in natural values can be a smart idea, but if not, it will be a disaster that will award the fossil industry more time. We continuously strive to develop forestry so that the impacts on waterbodies are minimised. This work must be continued.
Autumn is an excellent time to enjoy the many gifts and benefits of forests. Let’s work together to take good care of our forests and focus on good forest management to ensure that carbon sinks become stronger, and forests remain vibrant in the future.