The real value of Finnish forest industry exports in December was Euro 0.94 billion. Both the nominal and real value of exports remained below Euro 1 billion during the period between June and December 2023, according to the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke).

In December 2023, 0.48 million m3 of wood were imported into Finland. Imports of wood increased by 5% compared to the monthly average for the year 2022. The most important source of imported wood in December 2023 was Estonia (42%).

Forest-based industries export

The value of forest industry exports was Euro 0.94 billion in December 2023. Of the export value, 22% came from paper and 25% from paperboard. Pulp accounted for 27%. Sawn timber covered 15% and plywood 3% of the monthly export revenue.

The value of wood-products industry exports was Euro 0.21 billion in December, declining by 37% compared to the previous year's monthly average. The exports value of sawn goods decreased by 35% and the export volume by 6%. The export value of plywood decreased by 43% and the export volume by 44%.

The export value of pulp and paper industries was Euro 0.73 billion, being 13% less in real terms than the monthly average previous year. The exports value of bleached sulphate pulp increased by 12% and the export volume by 37%.

The exports value of magazine paper declined by 17% and the export volume by 11%. The export value of fine paper decreased by 9%, but the export volume increased by 6%. The export value of paperboard decreased by 28% and the volume by 24%.

In 2023, the value of forest industry exports totaled Euro 11.90 billion and decreased by approximately 15% in real terms compared to 2022.

Wood import

In December 2023, wood imports totalled 0.48 million m3, which was 5% more compared to the previous year's average monthly import volume. Of the total wood volume, 15% came from Sweden, 42% from Estonia, and 31% from Latvia.

Nearly 5 million m3 of wood were imported into Finland in 2023. The volume of wood imports decreased by 10% compared to the previous year.

Of all the wood imported throughout the year, 56% was pulpwood, 27% chips, and 2% logs. The imports of pulpwood decreased by 10% compared to the previous year. The imports of chips decreased by 14%, while the import of logs increased by 3%.

Source:  the Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke)