EUWID Wood Products and Panels — According to the estimates presented at the 68th International Softwood Conference (ISC) held in a digital format on 8 October, the volume of sawn softwood produced in Europe and North America is going to fall by almost 2 % this year to an estimated 190.8m m³. As such, a reduction of 3.5 % in Europe (excluding Russia) to 89.680m m³ will coincide with an almost unchanged output of 101.081m m³ in North America. According to estimates by the organizers, the European Timber Trade Federation (ETTF) and the European Organization of the Sawmill Industry (EOS) the reduction is therefore going to turn out to be less pronounced than the regressive figures for the gross national product in each of the ISC countries due to the corona crisis.

According to the ETTF and EOS, the markets for sawn softwood have generally been less affected by the measures for containing the corona pandemic. In this context, EOS president Sampsa Auvinen referred to the markets in Germany and Scandinavia, which have so far been comparatively stable, whereas the building economy in Spain, Italy, and the UK have been impaired much more heavily by extensive lockdowns. Both in Europe and North America, however, the lockdowns have also led to greater demand for wood products offered in the DIY sector.

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