Galician forest owners invoiced 276 million euros for the sale of wood in 2023
The timber market in Galicia confirms its stability, with a volume of cuts that exceeded 9.2 million cubic meters in the year 2023, in line with the average for the 2018-2021 period, all of which exceeded 9 million cubic meters.
The income of forest owners from wood sales was 276 million euros, according to the calculations of the Galicia Forestry Association, drawn up based on the felling statistics of the Regional Ministry of Rural Environment (Consellería do Medio Rural).
Of the total turnover, 168.7 million euros correspond to eucalyptus, 101.3 million euros to pines and 6.6 million euros to deciduous trees, which, beyond their use for domestic firewood, continue to have a residual use in the wood industry.
After an exceptional market year in 2022, with high timber prices and good demand, cuttings experienced a slight decline in the last year, in line with lower industrial demand and lower prices. From the 10.7 million cubic meters cut in 2022, it went to 9.2 million cubic meters in 2023.
Eucalyptus fell by around 10%, while pine fell by 23% after an exceptional 2022, which closed with the highest volumes of cutting in the last decade.
Data by province
The mountains of A Coruña accounted for 45% of the total timber cuts in Galicia, followed by Lugo, with 37%; Pontevedra, with 14%; and Ourense, with only 4%.
By forest species, 60% of the eucalyptus was cut in the province of A Coruña, while Lugo is the regional leader in pine cuttings, with more than half of the total.
Lugo and Pontevedra stand out for the balance of cuttings between pine and eucalyptus, as Lugo has 50.5% pine cuttings, 45.5% eucalyptus and 4% hardwoods. In Pontevedra, the figures are very similar, with eucalyptus taking the lead in this case: 51% of eucalyptus cut, 45% of pines and 4% of hardwoods.
In the case of A Coruña, eucalyptus cuttings represent 78.5% of the total, 17.5% of pine and 4% of hardwoods.
In Ourense, a province with rare forestry activity, pine represents 72% of the cuts, followed by hardwoods, with 14%, and eucalyptus, a species not suitable for this province, with 13% of the cuts.
Forest districts
In line with the provincial data, the three leading districts in pine cutting are located in Lugo (Lugo-Sarria, Terra de Lemos and A Fonsagrada-Ancares), while the three leaders in eucalyptus cutting are in A Coruña (Ferrol, Santiago-Meseta interior, and Bergantiños-Mariñas Coruñesas).
It should be remembered that all these felling data correspond to private forests (private communal neighbourhood forest owners and individual private owners), which add up to 98% of the wood cut in Galicia, while the remaining 2% comes from publicly managed forests, mainly from private communal neighbourhood forests with agreements with the Administration.
Summary table by district.
Wood prices
In terms of prices, the select round of pine, with larger diameters and qualities, was at 70 euros, while the 1st and 2nd round was in the range of 30-40 euros, and the prop for crushing around 20 euros.
Eucalyptus, on the other hand, hovered prices around 29-31 euros. In all cases these are average standing prices, without VAT and with bark. It must be remembered that wood prices are greatly influenced by the size of the plot to be cut and the accessibility for cutting and extracting the wood.
Multifunctionality of the forest
In addition to what is received from the sale of wood, the forest owners complete their income with other uses to be taken into account, such as chestnuts, mushrooms, silvopasture or ecosystem services (such as the sale of carbon rights), among others.
All this income is produced within the framework of a sustainable management of the forest. It should be emphasized that the wood and the remaining uses are a renewable resource, because the forest owners proceed to the planting or the natural regeneration of all the cut surfaces, which helps to guarantee the sustainability of the resource.
