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companies, as sufficient by just under 40 percent and as KaTo Photo
poor by over 50 percent.

Sawmills short of timber supply in Switzerland

Switzerland is a densely forested country. According to the
Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN), forests cover
1.31 million hectares, or around 32 percent of the country's
surface area.
At 71 percent, the majority of the forest area is in public
ownership, while the remaining 29 percent is private forest.
According to Forest Switzerland, the association of forest
owners, around 20,000 farmers own forests in Switzerland. away quickly. Nevertheless, only little wood is currently coming
Guide prices are a frequently discussed topic in the Swiss onto the market from private forests, says Müller.

timber market. In 2024 autumn session, Parliament passed the Climate change is making timber harvesting more difficult.
parliamentary initiative ‘Price recommendations also for wood Pascal M. Schneider, Managing Director of a timber company
from Swiss forests’ by Wald-Schweiz President and Member in Switzerland, says that it is difficult to find the right time
of the Council of States Daniel Fässler (AI). for timber work in 2024. The ground is barely frozen and
In future, industry organisations will be able to negotiate the weather in the forest is still damp. As a result, the wood
joint recommended prices without having to fear consequences cannot be taken out of the forest.
under cartel law. According to the latest timber market report for Eastern

According to Wald Schweiz, such price recommendations Switzerland from November 2024, changes in weather conditions
increase transparency and create planning security. Legal such as early thawing of the ground have a significant impact
clarifications are currently still underway in order to implement on timber harvesting. This leads to additional costs that forest
the price recommendations correctly in terms of competition law. owners have to bear.
The association expects that the first price recommendations “These conditions must be factored more strongly into
can be published once the corresponding articles in the pricing in future,” writes Heinz Engler, Managing Director of
Forest Act come into force in mid-2025. At the same time, the St. Gallen & Liechtenstein Forest Association.
the referendum period is still running. Wald Schweiz confirms that the costs for timber harvesting,
The demand for round timber, especially spruce and larch, wood protection and transport have the greatest impact on

is stable, albeit at a rather low price level. prices. Timber harvesting is particularly time-consuming and
District forester Dieter Müller from the Gantrisch forestry expensive in the steep terrain of the Alps. In regions close to
operation sees the guide prices as helpful, especially as an the border, the Swiss franc/euro exchange rate also plays a role.
orientation for forest owners. ‘However, it is more important The sawmills in Eastern Switzerland are keeping log
that the wood finds the right buyer in order to achieve a high prices stable and have clearly signalled that additional timber
added value,’ says Müller. volumes are needed, according to the Eastern Switzerland
The demand for round sawn timber in the Gantrisch region Timber Market Report. Due to this situation, it makes sense

is currently good, he continues. Processors no longer have to bring forward logging operations. Forest owners benefit
any stocks, which is why fresh goods are being transported from rapid removal and stable prices.