16 million cubic meters of industrial roundwood was exported from Russia in 2019. Export volumes decreased 16 per cent from the previous year and were at their lowest in the last 20 years.
In 2019, 15.86 million cubic meters of industrial roundwood was exported from Russia, which is 16 per cent less than in the previous year. Exports were at a record low, the last time they were at the same level in 1996. Softwood exports decreased by 22 per cent and hardwood by nine per cent from the previous year.
Export regulations concerning both softwood and hardwood were amended in 2019. In October 2019, the reduced quota duty for coniferous species growing in the Far East was doubled (see news), and export of birch logs was limited by a quota during the first half of 2019.
The sharpest decrease in export volumes was for birch logs (diameter > 15 cm), and only export of birch pulpwood increased. The largest roundwood volumes were exported from Northwest Russia (5.9 million m³) and the Far East (5.2 million m³). Northwest Russia’s wood exports were at the previous year’s level, while roundwood export from the Far East decreased by 1.6 million cubic meters.
China was the major export country, accounting for 55 per cent of Russian roundwood exports and 79 per cent of softwood exports. Softwood over 15 cm in diameter was the main product of the export to China. Finland was the second largest export country, accounting for 34 per cent of roundwood exports. Most of the wood exported to Finland was birch pulpwood.
To Finland, the largest roundwood volumes were exported from St. Petersburg (1.7 million m³), Vologda (1.4 million m³) and Leningrad (0.9 million m³) regions, and the Republic of Karelia (0.6 million m³). These regions accounted for 87 per cent of the export volume to Finland.
In addition to industrial roundwood, 2.4 million tonnes of wood chips, 0.7 million tonnes of wood fuel and waste wood and 1.9 million tonnes of wood pellets were exported from Russia. Exports of all products increased by 30 per cent from the previous year.
Statistical sources: Rosstat, Russian customs
Sari Karvinen, Luke