Changes in prices, volume and value of wood raw material sold by the State Forests

The State Forests in Poland operate according to the principles of sustainable forest management combining and fulfilling diverse functions. Wood production is one of them. In this context, the question arises whether the species composition of forest stands has a greater impact on timber sales than the optimization of the assortment structure of harvested timber. The aim of the paper is to present the dynamics of prices, volume and value of timber sold by the State Forests and to examine the impact of the price and volume on the value of timber sales. The analysis of the dynamics measures was based on the data in the financial reports published annually on the websites of the State Forests as well as on the announcements of the Central Statistical Office in Poland on the average price of timber, calculated from the average price of timber sold by forest districts in the first three quarters of the year. The aggregate indices were calculated using the data on the volume, prices and value of the sold timber included in the State Forests Information System. The data were obtained by dividing wood assortments and species into groups. The analysis focused on years 2012−2014. It included seven tree species: pine, spruce, fir, oak, beech, alder and birch as well as the most common groups of wood assortments: WA, WB, WC, WD, WBCK, WCK, S1, S2, S4, M1 and M2, for which the weighted average price of timber and the amount of timber sold were calculated in individual years. Of the analysed characteristics (price, volume, value), the average rate of changes in timber prices was the lowest and amounted to 1.9% per year. The volume of timber offered on the market increased by 3.01% annually. The cumulative effect of the increase in the price and volume of timber offered for sale was 5.94% of the annual value of timber sold