Logging industry still in low gear

In 1996, eight million cubic meters of timber with a combined value of NOK 2.6 billion were logged for industrial production and sale and processing by forest owner-owned businesses, preliminary figures show. Compared with preliminary figures for the 1995/96 business year, the roundwood cut for 1996 shows a small increase.

Figures for the calendar year are presented here for the first time. Previously, the statistics followed the trading year, which runs from 1 August to 31 July. In other words the two years overlap by five months.

There was a 2.3 per cent increase in the roundwood cut for industrial production and sale and processing by forest owner-owned firms during the 1996 calendar year compared to the 1995/96 trading year, which saw the lowest quantity logged since the 1977/78 trading year. Gross value of the quantity felled was 0.9 per cent higher in 1996 than in 1995/96.

Four million cubic meters of special and saw logs and 3.7 million cubic meters of pulpwood were logged in 1996. In 1995/96 the comparative figures were 3.7 and 3.6 million cubic meters. The remaining quantity was made up of other round timber and fuelwood. The small dimension pulpwood consisted of 75.5 per cent spruce, 21.7 pine and 2.9 per cent deciduous wood.

New Statistics

Roundwood cut, 1996.
Statistics are published annually in the Weekly Bulletin of Statistics and Official Statistics of Norway (NOS) Roundwood Cut and Regional Statistics. More information: Astri Kløvstad, tel. +47 62 88 57 88, e-mail: kod@ssb.no, or Hanne Haanæs, tel. +47 62 88 52 38, e-mail: hbh@ssb.no.

Weekly Bulletin issue no. 4, 1998