Wood costs for sawmills in Sweden reached their highest levels on record in the second quarter but have since declined, according to Wood Resource Quarterly.
Log prices have increased faster than in the southern part of the country, resulting in forest owners in central and northern Sweden increasingly shipping logs southbound unless log prices become more attractive.
Swedish mills still have lower costs than competitor countries, but the difference has declined substantially.
Eastern European and north-west Russian mills have 15-30% lower wood costs than Sweden.
