Russia cut about 194.6 million cubic meters of wood in 2022, 13.5% less than in 2021.
There are two main reasons for the decline in Russian timber harvesting: First, the sanctions imposed by Europe on Russia have led to a sharp drop in Russian timber exports to Europe. EU sanctions have led to a decline in the country's exports and wood processing, and accordingly, the demand for wood raw materials has fallen; on the other hand is the log export ban imposed by the Russian government.
In all of Russia's large forest regions, harvesting fell last year. In the Irkutsk region, the logging volume was 27.9 million cubic meters, a year-on-year decrease of 14.5%; in the Krasnoyarsk Territory, the logging volume was 19.6 million cubic meters, a drop of 20.6%;
In the Vologda region, wood felling fell to 14.6 million cubic meters, a decrease of 19.6%; The region will see the lowest decline in timber felling, with 9.1 million cubic meters of deforestation in 2022, a decrease of 5.8%.
In 2022, plywood production in Russia will drop by 28.8%, while veneer and softwood panel production will drop by 21.4% and 11.4%, respectively.
Immediately after the start of Russia's military conflict with Ukraine, many Western companies announced that they would stop working on the Russian market. By early 2023, Occidental has sold 13 wood processing, paper and cardboard factories in Russia.