Forest industries' wood consumption 2018

In 2018, the forest industries’ roundwood consumption totalled 73.6 million cubic metres, which was 6 per cent, or nearly four million cubic metres, more than a year earlier, and the fourth highest of all time. At its highest the consumption was in 2006, when it amounted to 75.5 million cubic metres. In addition to roundwood, the consumption of sawmill chips and dust in the manufacture of forest industry products was 9.7 million cubic metres, the same as in the previous year.

The forest industries processed a total of 64.5 million cubic metres of domestic roundwood. This amount was 4 per cent more than in the previous year and more than ever before. The consumption of imported roundwood turned into an increase after four years of a decrease. In 2018, the forest industries used 9.1 million cubic metres of imported roundwood, which was over one-fifth more than in 2017. This increase was mainly based on pine pulpwood, as its consumption was nearly four times higher than in the year before.

The consumption of roundwood increased from the previous year in all assortments and in all forest industry branches, apart from the semi-chemical pulp industry and other wood-products industry. The most roundwood was used by the chemical pulp industry, 35.3 million cubic metres, increasing by 9 per cent from the year before and being the highest amount so far in the industry. Roundwood consumption in the sawmilling industry increased by 3 per cent to 27.2 million cubic metres from the previous year.

The most important roundwood assortments used by the forest industries were pine pulpwood (19.2 million cubic metres) and spruce logs (14.6 million cubic metres). Compared to the year 2017, the consumption of pine pulpwood increased by two million cubic metres, being higher than ever before.

Nearly one-fifth of roundwood, or 14.0 million cubic metres, was consumed in the region of South Karelia. It was followed by Central Finland (8.3 million cubic metres) and Kymenlaakso (8.0 million cubic metres). In Central Finland, the consumption of roundwood increased by 2.2 million cubic metres, or 37 per cent, from the previous year.