Maroc - TIMBERBIZ.COM.AU - A La Une - 19/Jun 00:21

Sweden’s cost of harvesting has risen

The cost of harvesting (felling and extraction to roadside) increased by 9% in 2023, according to new statistics from the Swedish Forest Agency and Skogforsk. Costs for regeneration harvests have risen every year since 2017, by 39% in all. The producer price index has in-creased by 41% during the same period. Source: Timberbiz During 2023 harvesting costs (in current prices), on average for the whole country, have in-creased by: 9% to SEK 134 per cubic metre for regeneration harvest. 8%to SEK 269 per cubic metre for thinning. The cost for regeneration harvests increased in both northern and southern Sweden during 2023. The largest increase was in northern Sweden by 12%, while the cost rose by 6% in southern Sweden. The cost of both regeneration harvests and thinning is at its highest level since 1996, the year of origin for these statistics. Since then, the cost of regeneration harvests has in-creased by 48% while thinning has increased by 76%. During the same period the producer price index has risen by 84%. Costs for silvicultural measures including pre-commercial thinning During 2023 most costs for silviculture also increased. The costs for: clear-cut cleaning increased by 4% to SEK 1 840 per hectare scarification has increased by 7% to SEK 3 190 per hectare planting (including plants) has increased by 15% to SEK 7 050 per hectare sowing has decreased by 2% to SEK 5 870 per hectare precommercial thinning has increased by 15% to SEK 3 340 per hectare fertilization and liming has increased by 12% to SEK 3 800 per hectare These statistics are volume weighted or area-weighted and relate to current prices. The survey population is large scale forestry with an ownership of more than 16 000 hectares forest land or an annual felling of more than 50 000 m³. The survey is a collaboration between the Swedish Forest Agency and Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden) and is included in Sweden’s official statistics.