Reduced harvest volume, increased production volumes, higher yield
The harvest volume for logs was 185 000 m3, 15 % higher than in the previous year. As in previous years, early, heavy rainfall affected our forestry activities. At the end of February 2023, approximately 62 000 m3 of harvested logs remained in the forest, which we will not be able to transport to the sawmill until June 2023. The distance from the harvesting area to our sawmill was 150 km farther away than in previous years, resulting in additional costs. The temporary camp required for our employees was still in use and will not be vacated until the second half of 2023, after which we will begin work in other regions. The sawmill processed 180 010 m3 of wood, 10.9 % more than in the previous year. Yield was slightly below the previous year’s level, due to the quality of the logs. This resulted in 5.0 % higher sawn timber production, totalling 41 700 m3 (previous year: 39 700 m3). Thanks to the additional equipment in the sawmill, the annual maintenance work was carried out continuously during ongoing operations. New warehouses for the intermediate storage of air-dried sawn timber were also built.
Unfortunately, the forestry equipment ordered in November 2021 was not delivered until November 2022 instead of June 2022 as announced. Therefore, the machines were hardly available for harvesting. The resulting maintenance costs for the old, existing forestry machinery was relatively high, and several breakdowns occurred. Further replacement investments for machinery are planned for 2024 and 2025.
In 2022, we were again able to produce for the local market, allowing us to process non-exportable wood species with a higher yield. The fight against illegal timber trade by the authorities was already active under the old government and is now being pursued even more rigorously. This has advantages for us, and we can assume that local sales will at least remain constant or even increase. While prices are lower than for the export market, the diversification of wood species and the less stringent quality demands for sawn timber largely compensate for this disadvantage.