Janne Kiilieinen, head of private timber trade at the Finnish forest sector company UPM, says that the company is currently buying all types of timber actively, expressing optimism that, despite the difficult conditions in southern Finland, where some so-called winter felling sites have not been harvested, this winter will also bring better weather conditions for roundwood harvesting.

“Forecasting is considerably more difficult than before, both because of the geopolitical situation and because of global economic imbalances. That is why we at UPM are taking a short-term approach. Looking at the bigger picture, I see nothing that would constrain demand for timber in Finland this year,” Janne Kiilieinen said at the “Metsät ja raha” (Forests and Money) event.

He noted that demand remains strong for all timber assortments. The most sought-after stands are, of course, those suitable for harvesting in summer or during hard frost. Harvesting conditions in Finland are expected to be considerably more problematic than usual this winter. Even so, UPM has been able to provide its contractors with a full workload this winter.

“In southern Finland and along the coast, the weather has been poor for harvesting, whereas in the north timber has been harvested in suitable weather conditions. In view of the above, a number of ‘winter felling sites’ will remain uncut – contrary to what had been planned.”

Despite several active years favourable to timber sales, UPM's trade manager is confident that timber supplies will largely remain at a positive level: “This is borne out by the fact that timber trading has been intense at the start of the year and there has been none of the price drop typical of the Finnish winter season.”

Janne Kiilieinen stressed that forest owners can have a positive influence on the price of their stands by taking various measures. “A good forest road network, larger sales volumes and excellently managed forests will all have a positive effect on the price paid for timber.”