Softwood fiber costs were generally higher worldwide in the 2Q/21 than in the previous quarter despite an increase in the supply of residuals from sawmills in Europe and North America. Practically all regions covered by the WRQ experienced q-o-q prices increases in the range of 1-5%.

Increased demand for hardwood fiber in
key pulp-producing countries and a weaker US dollar resulted in higher
hardwood pulplogs prices in the 4Q/20. The Global Hardwood Fiber Price
Index (HFPI) was up 1.4% from the 3Q/20 to the 4Q/20.

China
is the world’s largest importer of softwood and hardwood logs, and for
many decades, Russia has been a significant log supplier for them. This
relationship may change in 2022 if Russia implements their proposed ban
on exports of softwood logs and valuable hardwood logs.