Forecast: Lower felling in 2024

Nyhet | Statistik - 20 September 2024

This year's felling in Swedish forests is expected to be 2 million cubic meters lower in comparison to 2023, according to a new forecast from the Swedish Forest Agency.

According to the Swedish Forest Agency's forecast, the gross felling for 2024 is estimated to approximately 88 million cubic meters standing volume. This is a decrease of 7 million cubic meters standing volume compared to 2022, and a decrease of just under 2 million cubic meters compared to 2023. The expected decrease in felling is explained by a decreased consumption of wood in the wood-consuming forest industry. This is consequence of the fact that this year's production of sawn wood products is estimated to decrease.

The harvest of sawlogs is estimated to decrease as an effect of the prognosis that production of sawn wood products this year is expected to be 4 percent lower than 2023. The forest industry's production of pulp is also estimated to decrease, which means that the harvest of pulpwood is expected to decrease by 1 percent. Firewood harvest, on the other hand, is estimated to be unchanged.

 - Felling decreased already in 2023 after a couple of years with historically high felling levels, if you disregard 2005 and 2007 when fellings were very high due to the storms Gudrun and Per. We assess that felling will continue to decrease," says Jonas Paulsson, statistician at the Swedish Forest Agency.

Felling is also affected, to a certain extent, by the import and export of roundwood. Imports are expected to increase by 0.7 million cubic meters, while exports are estimated to decrease by 0.4 million cubic meters compared to 2023.

Explanations

Gross felling: Total harvested trunk volume, including trunks not removed from the forest. Measured in cubic meters standing volume (m³sk) which means the trunk volume above the stump including top and bark but excluding branches.

The statistics, except for forecasted felling, are part of the Official Statistics of Sweden.

The Swedish Forest Agency annually produces a forecast for this year's felling. The forecast which is reported to UNECE/FAO is based on forecasts and assessments of production in sawmills, pulp production, consumption of roundwood for energy purposes, foreign trade of roundwood and stock levels of roundwood.