Finland’s exports of wood products fell by 30% last year in line with the slowdown in construction activity in its main market countries, the Finnish Forest Industries Federation said.
Wood products accounted for €1.6bn of the €8.6bn generated by the export of forest industry products, and the average export price was around 3% lower than the year before.
The majority of wood products sold abroad was sawn timber and the biggest customer remained the UK, the federation said. Wood-based panels accounted for €380m while the value of wooden prefabricated houses and other wood-based products was €318m.
Paper and paperboard acccounted for three-quarters of forest industry exports.
A federation spokesperson said exports fell most rapidly in the early part of 2009. “In the latter half of the year export volumes started to increase and narrowly exceeded the previous year at the close of the year, ” he said.
