Forestry companies increasingly evaluate contract processing
In the run-up to the negotiations on follow-up contracts, it is clear that the focus is not only on the price in the leading spruce and pine range. Forestry companies pay more attention to compliance with contractually agreed modalities, such as the method for determining the volume in the plant entrance survey. In order to obtain reliable criteria for the allocation of quantities to different sawmill customers in view of a scarce supply of softwood logs, surveying and sorting protocols are increasingly being analysed. Above all, the organized private and corporate forests want to build structures for this.
As decision criteria for the volume of preliminary contracts, round timber suppliers continue to use the thickness class discounts and the prices for C and D grades. For D-wood, 95 to 100 €/m³ are often quoted across all thickness classes. In regions with a high proportion of fir trees, a price difference of up to 10 €/m³ to the spruce price is hardly accepted.
Supra-regional cover purchases
The number of short-term, supra-regional cover purchases to secure the supply of round timber has recently continued to rise. As a result, the price level for spruce and pine has increased. However, the resistance lines of 140 €/fm for spruce B/C L2b and 100 €/m³ for pine B/C L2b have not yet been exceeded, with one exception. Reports of 110 €/fm for pine have not been confirmed. Above all, the purchasing activities of southern German sawmills in eastern German pine regions mean that the price level there is approaching 100 €/m³, one learns in the market phone calls.
The price range for spruce continues to start below 120 €/€/m³ from Waldstraße. On the one hand, these prices can be found in coastal regions of northern Germany. On the other hand, there are still old contracts in some federal states that have not yet been delivered due to the low amount of beetle wood.
Unchanged price differential from west to east
Prices for 2.4 m round timber for sawmills specialising in pallet and packaging timber are stable following the price increases recorded in the 2nd and 3rd quarters. The price difference from west to east continues to be noticeable with the lowest prices in Saxony. East German forestry companies therefore take advantage of the offers of Polish sawmills from 40 to 45 €/rm from Waldstraße.
Douglas fir and larch wanted
The high price level for spruce continues to influence the contract design for Douglas fir and fir. Similar to Fichte, the effects are less reflected in higher prices of the leading assortments than in other contract conditions. For example, a uniform price is often no longer applied for the thickness classes L2b to 5 – instead, there are price surcharges per thickness class in this diameter range.
