Holzindustrie-Nachrichten aus Schweden

Sawlog deliveries rose 4% while sawmill margins stayed under pressure; Sveaskog expects lower log prices to gradually improve sawmills’ conditions, with some delay.

Finland remained the largest supplier as its share rose 6.8 pp; Austria's shipments rose 77-fold and Sweden's fell 43.4%.

Swedish lumber producer prices rose 0.6% from August but were 1.5% lower than a year earlier.

Lower own operating expenses also contributed to the result; Mellanskog expects the incoming government to prioritize compensation rights related to species-protection prohibitions.

Lower timber prices, efficiency gains and currency effects improved the result; planned maintenance shutdowns weakened July performance.

Japan housing starts, China industrial data, Sweden producer prices and forest products, building products and homebuilding results are also scheduled.

Sweden's construction industry association expects 31,000 homes to be started in 2026 and 31,700 in 2027, down from 33,500 and 35,900 in its March forecast.

EBITDA rose 25% sequentially as containerboard conditions strengthened and industrial raw-material costs fell; packaging-paper deliveries rose year on year but fell from the second quarter.

Slower than expected CLT market growth and rising wood costs pressured profitability; about 80 positions are affected.

The change aims to raise value from Holmen's own forest land and secure wood for its mills; no job cuts are planned.

Price increases in both regions more than offset input-cost inflation, while sales volumes reached 903,000 metric tons; Billerud expects stable markets and positive pricing in the fourth quarter.

Variable costs fell by SEK 51 million, mainly as pulpwood prices declined, while CTMP production increased; full-year investments are expected to total about SEK 60 million.

Group operating profit of SEK 267 million included a SEK 288 million gain from the Sunpine sale; Södra plans to continue its transformation, citing the weak wood products business.

Wood products demand was subdued and log prices fell; Holmen plans to keep balancing production with market conditions.

The Swedish forest owners' association has also signed a logistics partnership.

Götaland records the largest monthly decline, while applications for montane forest felling increase.

Japanese corporate goods prices, Slovenian roundwood purchases, Swedish felling notifications, Chinese producer prices and U.S. import prices are scheduled.

The company plans to focus the Swedish site on sawn and planed goods production while supplying Nordic CLT customers from three other plants.

The SEK 235 million property comprises contiguous forest land south of Storsjö Chapel in Härjedalen.

The company sees an opportunity to divert waste wood from energy production and reuse it as material for new products.

Södra’s increased birch demand is driven by pulp business expansion and Baltic plywood production.

Pine sawlogs fell the most, down 12.3% from the first quarter, followed by spruce sawlogs, down 8.5%.

Notified area for January-August was 9% below the same period last year.

Several producers improved results, while mill closures reduced Nordic lumber capacity and production.

The association cites a continued weakened market situation and lower demand for the reductions.

The planned closure will remove about 110 thousand m3 of annual lumber production.

Latvia lost 9 percentage points of Sweden's softwood log imports; Sweden imported 1.4 million m3.

Sweden imported 1.4 million m3 in Q2 as Latvia lost 9 percentage points of Sweden's imports.

Prices increased for the second consecutive year after declining in 2023.

The Swedish company described current business conditions as the worst in 30 years.

Prices for sawlogs, pulpwood and fuelwood all decreased from the first quarter, while delivery timber prices also fell.

Setra's Q2 operating profit turns positive to SEK 15 million ($1.6 million) on falling timber costs and internal efficiency

The benchmark was down 11.3% year on year, while U.S. market import volume rose 1.4% month on month.

Purchase includes manufacturing equipment and three brands generating BRL 800 million ($156 million) in annual sales.

Lower electricity prices, weaker wood-product earnings and cautious construction demand affect operations, while board and paper deliveries improve.

Clarifier and precoat filter installation targets improved recausticizing efficiency and reduced energy consumption.

The law also directs the Department of Housing and Urban Development to identify financing barriers for modular housing and study a federal building standard.

Sawlog and pulpwood stocks rose in timber balance region 2, while pulp chip stocks increased in all regions.

The industry calls for simpler environmental reviews, digital permit processes and tighter appeal procedures.

The company aims to improve profitability, speed up decision-making and consolidate its Nordic supply chain.

Brazil’s plywood exports fell 17% overall, while shipments to Mexico rose 58% and exports to the United States declined 23%.

Sawmilling producer prices remained below year-earlier levels, while wood-panel and parquet producer prices increased on both monthly and annual comparisons.

New pricing for all grades takes effect from September 1, 2026.

The company reviews supplier sourcing plans each year, requires FSC certification and blocks deliveries when suppliers cannot prove compliance with its minimum sourcing standard.

High raw-material costs and weak pulp, timber and construction markets continued to pressure prices and profitability.

The Piteå plant processes approximately 0.4 million tons per year of crude tall oil into feedstock for renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel.

Andreas Mattsson succeeds Mikael Schmidt, who retires on 31 December 2026 after serving since 2017.

The project will develop and pilot tools for recycled material uptake, reuse and take-back models, integration of agricultural residues and improved traceability across eight European countries.

Swedish sawmill joins Austrian group's portfolio, operating as Malå Timber.

Investment targets roof-mounted fans to prevent unplanned stops and fire risks.

Karlsson will join the group executive management team and will succeed Magnus Örnberg, who will remain with the company until early 2027.

They propose indicative land‑use targets based on member states' own assessments and projections and say voluntary carbon removal rules must remain voluntary.

Malin Nygren permanently assumes role effective 1 July 2026 after serving as interim VP since March.

The company will invest Euro 19 million in upgrades to increase fluff capacity to 440 thousand tons annually, with the project due to complete in the fourth quarter of 2027.

External logistics partner's performance at new Meppen facility causes delays, higher costs, and reduced delivery precision.

Applications for montane forest permits rose to 873 hectares while January–May notified area fell 2% to 103,464 hectares.

The deal adds a plant with 46 million linear feet capacity and 120 employees.

Intelligent Vision Platform combines deep learning with real-time image analysis to classify each wood surface.

Net felling was 70.5 million m3 with softwood sawlogs just under half; exports rose to 1.0 million m3 while imports fell to 8.4 million m3.

Kristoffer Ljungfelt is stepping down from the role of CEO by mutual agreement