Representatives of the Polish timber industry have accused the National Forest Corporation of a predatory timber market in Poland and that Polish timber is exported on a larger scale than the company claims. In their view, policies implemented by the Polish National Forest Service are pushing up the price of wood. As a result, wood raw materials are becoming more and more scarce, and prices in Poland are now the highest in Europe. Building materials have also become more expensive, and the knock-on effect of this has also pushed up the price of lumber.
Development Minister Waldemar Buda recently told Polish media: "We want to achieve a situation in which most of the wood raw materials in Poland are processed by local companies." He pointed out that "The Ukraine dispute has exacerbated the problem of wood supply for Polish sawmills and the furniture industry."
"Imports of wood and its semi-finished products from Russia and Belarus have completely stopped. Ukraine is the main western country, providing us with about 25 percent of the wood before the dispute with Russia," said Rafa Szefler, director of the Polish Chamber of Timber Industries. According to him, "for years, the industry has been calling on the government to engage in work aimed at promoting wood processing in the country".
“We warn that increased timber in public auctions and a lack of control over Polish exports will lead to severe supply disruptions and higher prices,” he stressed, adding, “There is no country in Europe like Poland State Forests. There are such lax rules on the sale of lumber."
Minister WaldemarBuda said, “In the dialogue with the national forest department, the ministry will take measures to create the most beneficial solutions for wood processors in Poland. We are a European power, so guaranteeing raw materials is crucial for us. . For example, now the subcontractors of the big furniture chains don’t have the raw materials to make the furniture. This drives them to look for other markets and other suppliers.”
Between Q4 2020 and July 2021, individual species prices for softwood lumber rose 15-20%, oak lumber prices rose 20-22%, and pine lumber prices rose 50-77%. The price of pine at auction even reached 1000PLN per cubic meter. Last year, lumber prices rose by a total of 200%-300% in some cases.
In September 2021, the price of OSB boards increased by nearly 125% compared to the previous year. This has allowed the window joinery industry to feel this growth as well. In the first quarter of last year, the price of so-called square timber required to produce windows reached 2,100 PLN per cubic metre, rising to 4,500 PLN per cubic metre by the end of the year.
Timber industry representatives have also long called for government regulations to limit timber exports. They believe that there is a management style of plundering timber in Poland and that Polish timber exports are on a larger scale than reported by the National Forest Service. However, calls from the industry went unanswered.
At the same time, according to official data, 10% of Polish log exports (about 4 million cubic meters) are mainly exported to China.