How the Russia-Ukraine War impacts the Timber Trade
It’s been over a month since Russia invaded Ukraine and over the past 5 weeks we’ve rightly focused on solidarity with and support for the people of Ukraine, as have many of us around the World.
As the war continues and sanctions on Russia have been in place for weeks, we’re taking a closer look at how the Russia-Ukraine war is impacting the timber trade in the UK.
What we’re doing at WL West Timber
At W.L. West & Sons Ltd, we’ve supported the Ukrainian Sunflower Aid initiative, based in Midhurst, contributing financially to the cause. As of 28th March 2022, the Just Giving page reached £70,000 – which is phenomenal.
From our business perspective, we’ve made changes to ensure we are not trading with Russia, as recommended by Timber Development UK.
We have substituted a plywood product made in Russia for one instead made in the Far East. We have found a multiply BB/CC graded smooth faced and long grain stock, class 2 glue line. Plus, we are now sourcing British Larch rather than Siberian Larch from Russia. While these are small steps, we hope that these smaller sanctions work for the greater good.
The Impact of Russian Sanctions on Timber Trade
Escalating demand, rising prices and difficulty sourcing supplies are all consequences those of us in the timber trade will remember from the core years of Covid-19. The situation is not too dissimilar now, in that while we support the sanctions placed on Russia, the restricted trading has caused and will continue to cause huge disruption to timber supplies around the UK and Europe.
While Russia has about 20% of the world’s forests, thankfully direct imports from Russia are relatively low in this country. Their biggest market in the UK is softwood, contributing roughly 10% of the softwood market in Europe and UK in both Redwoods [Pinus Sylvatica and White Woods Spruce and Lodge Pole Pines]. The result of this is even more difficulty in sourcing softwood supplies and therefore greater shortages.
As a mainly hardwood merchant, our softwood and sheet material friends in the industry will be faced with hardships on a much greater scale regarding the supply basis than us, but we all have to do our part.
Further, Mace have stated they believe tender prices could rise by 5.5% due to this eco-political development, on top of the 7.5% increase throughout 2021.
As David Hopkins, Timber Trade Federation CEO, states, ceasing trade during an illegal invasion seems a small price to pay compared to the horrors being experienced by the Ukrainian people. We couldn’t agree more.
WL West Timber is a family-owned sawmill & timber merchant in West Sussex with over 155 years’ industry experience. We provide a wide range of air-dried oak and kiln-dried oak timber products and supplies. We also build and install custom projects for our customers.
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