Timber production in Estonia fell by nearly a quarter during October, figures from Statistics Estonia have revealed.
Sawn timber production was down 24% year-on-year during the month, as demand, most notably that of export markets, declined. Between September and October, the decline was 4.6%.
Finnish forest products firm Stora Enso has made a number of cuts in its Estonian production capacity in recent months. It has permanently closed the 170,000m³ Paikuse sawmill and has restructured its joinery components business by permanently closing the Viljandi mill and transferring the business to Imavere.
Stora Enso undertook the actions as part of efforts to “limit our exposure to the least competitive raw material regions, aggressively reduce our inventory levels and reorganise our product portfolio to improve profitability”, according to Hannu Kasurinen, head of Stora Enso Wood Products.
