Finnish private log sales treble

Finnish log sales received a dramatic boost in the first full month after the government’s decision to halve tax on timber sales.

A total of 5.3 million m³ from privately owned domestic forests were sold during August – three times the level recorded in July, according to the Finnish Forest Industries Federation (FFIF).

But FFIF warned that the industry’s wood supply situation remained dire, with the 2008 aggregate purchase volume (January-August) of 17.4 million m³ still substantially less than normal.

“If the forest industry’s raw material needs are to be satisfied with domestic wood, annual procurements from private forests must at least triple,” it said.