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The cost of harvesting (felling and extraction to roadside) increased by 9% in 2023, according to new statistics from the Swedish Forest Agency and Skogforsk. Costs for regeneration harvests have risen every year since 2017, by 39% in all. The producer price index has in-creased by 41% during the same period. Source: Timberbiz During 2023 harvesting costs (in current prices), on average for the whole country, have in-creased by: 9% to SEK 134 per cubic metre for regeneration harvest. 8%to SEK 269 per cubic metre for thinning. The cost for regeneration harvests increased in both northern and southern Sweden during 2023. The largest increase was in northern Sweden by 12%, while the cost rose by 6% in southern Sweden. The cost of both regeneration harvests and thinning is at its highest level since 1996, the year of origin for these statistics. Since then, the cost of regeneration harvests has in-creased by 48% while thinning has increased by 76%. During the same period the producer price index has risen by 84%. Costs for silvicultural measures including pre-commercial thinning During 2023 most costs for silviculture also increased. The costs for: clear-cut cleaning increased by 4% to SEK 1 840 per hectare scarification has increased by 7% to SEK 3 190 per hectare planting (including plants) has increased by 15% to SEK 7 050 per hectare sowing has decreased by 2% to SEK 5 870 per hectare precommercial thinning has increased by 15% to SEK 3 340 per hectare fertilization and liming has increased by 12% to SEK 3 800 per hectare These statistics are volume weighted or area-weighted and relate to current prices. The survey population is large scale forestry with an ownership of more than 16 000 hectares forest land or an annual felling of more than 50 000 m³. The survey is a collaboration between the Swedish Forest Agency and Skogforsk (The Forestry Research Institute of Sweden) and is included in Sweden’s official statistics.

Timbersource took a look at the forestland of European nations to see who would finish at the ‘top of the tree’ and unfortunately for England, they crashed out to Germany in the round of 16. Source: Timberbiz To work out who would win the tournament, Timbersource gathered data from Worldometre and the individual statistics hubs of each nation and created a table showing the different groups and their respective forest sizes. From this Timbersource analysed the potential draws mapping out the winners, runners-up, and ‘best third-place teams’ to map out the bracket. This year’s ‘group of death’ was group D with big hitters including France, Austria, and Poland. France, while being the second biggest team in terms of forest size, only managed to get third place given the nature of the draw. The bracket and routes to the final were drawn from the official Uefa Euros bracket, then cross-referenced with the forestland data to find the eventual winner Spain. Spain topped the table with more than 18 million hectares of forestland, and this strength helped them to win the tournament but there was one big country missing. While Russia tops the list with more than 800 million hectares due to the current situation in the Ukraine they were banned from participation. Forests are often taken for granted, but these leafy giants silently provide a wealth of benefits to our planet and our lives. From the air we breathe to the wood in our homes, forestry offers a powerful combination of economic, environmental, and social advantages. Some forestry benefits include: Helping to mitigate climate change. Forests remove a significant amount of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and help to release oxygen into the air. Forests give us resources to make timber that can be used in construction and furniture, musical instruments, and more. Timber can also be used for sporting equipment, which may be used in the Olympics.   First place: Spain Second place: France Third place: Turkey The full dataset used within the research can be found here.

After 13 years as president of TimberPro, Lee Crawford has announced his retirement. This draws to a close Crawford’s nearly 40 years in the forestry machinery business, during which he consistently exemplified entrepreneurial spirit and a caring attitude. Source; Timberbiz Pat Crawford, Lee’s father, was a third-generation logger whose company – Shawano, Wisconsin-based Timbco – had become known for its popular line of levelling machines. But Mr Crawford never planned on entering the forestry industry, becoming an engineer at the Oshkosh Truck Company in 1982. In 1985, however, Mr Crawford’s father asked him to join the family business at Timbco, where he started on the assembly line. “It gives you credibility with your people,” Lee said. “And you learn the products. You learn what needs to be changed.” After his assembly line shifts ended, Lee kept working, ordering parts and writing warranties. He eventually become Vice President in 1992. In 2000, Timbco was sold to Partek, a Komatsu-owned company. The Crawfords bought back the wheeled division from Partek in 2002 to form TimberPro, which later became recognized for its innovative track machine products. TimberPro was acquired by Komatsu in 2019. In retirement, Lee plans to stay involved in charitable work with the Ruth and Pat Crawford Foundation, which has donated millions over the years to community organizations and food pantries. While the TimberPro family is sad to see Lee go, the legacy of the Crawford’s ingenuity and generosity will continue with Komatsu at the helm. “By taking Komatsu’s strengths and combining it with TimberPro’s, we can be a leading supplier. We’re really excited about the future,” said Doug Morris, Vice President, Forest Machine Business Division at Komatsu. Mr Crawford feels safe leaving his companies in Komatsu’s hands. “Komatsu wants TimberPro to grow. Komatsu has the means and ambition to plan and grow our offerings over time,” he says. “My family was comfortable. Komatsu has the drive to get bigger and bigger and bigger. It’s going to be exciting.”