2022 is a good year for Upper Austria’s forest farmers. Significantly less bark beetle and storm damage as well as higher prices had a positive effect, said Upper Austria’s Chamber of Agriculture President Franz Waldenberger at a press conference on Monday: “But market events have also become more fast-moving and production costs are rising.”
The prices for saw logs fluctuate. Those for industrial and energy wood currently only know one direction – upwards. Because of the Ukraine war and the energy crisis, the demand for firewood in particular has risen sharply. “The circumstances are bad, but the development in forest management is good,” said forest association chairman Franz Kepplinger, who advised forest owners to use the “hype”.
After the meter of firewood costing between 85 and 95 euros from the farm for a long time, it is now 100 to 150 euros. The price increase was necessary in view of the difficult years before, according to Kepplinger.
In hardware stores, sometimes more than 200 euros have to be paid. Kepplinger criticized these “surcharges on imported goods”. And he warned against “fortune seekers” of any kind who enter the timber trade at short notice when prices are rising.
“The forest farmers look to long-term customer relationships,” said the chairman. Those who have already bought wood have also received some this year. Some others would have felt the shortage. Logs that are sold today were produced more than a year ago because wood had to dry, explained Waldenberger. The latest allegations of collusion against pellet companies would cast a bad light on the entire biomass industry. The forest farmers could not do anything about it here.
Source: Nachrichten
