Sawmills across Germany are confronting an abrupt shortage of new timber, pushing log prices to levels not seen in more than three decades. Industry groups say that the current shortage threatens production and risks ripple effects through construction and manufacturing next year.
Wood Central understands that the shortage has been caused by an unusually cool, wet summer. This summer suppressed bark‑beetle outbreaks and deprived the market of the storm‑damaged and pest‑hit timber that typically supplies processing yards, leaving warehouses empty and prices rocketing past $130 per cubic metre. The German Federal Association of the Wood Industry described the situation as a “raw material shortage” and warned that, unless additional volumes are cut, the shortfall could “escalate into an existential crisis for the industry.”
Retailers who purchased stock earlier in the year say they are less exposed. Matthias Birnkammer, a wood dealer in Ebersberg in Upper Bavaria, said he bought his supplies in the first half of the year and his warehouses remain full, adding, “To be honest, it’s chaos every year in the fall,” in an interview with German-based publication BR24.
Wood Central understands that the problem is concentrated on spruce and pine, where buyers in some regions are now paying sharply higher sums for roundwood. Analysts say the spike is most acute where mills depend heavily on volumes produced by stormfall and salvage harvesting from pest damage. With those sources reduced, the market has limited elasticity, and prices have climbed quickly.
Household heating customers have so far been largely insulated because much of the firewood on sale was cut last winter and moved through longer retail supply chains, muting immediate impacts for end users. Still, sawmills and downstream manufacturers warn that sustained shortages would raise costs for boards, cladding and engineered wood products and could complicate order fulfilment for construction projects in 2026.
Industry bodies and foresters are urging private owners of spruce and pine stands to consider harvesting now to relieve pressure on mills and maintain continuity of supply. Experts note that a single autumn storm or an unexpected late surge in pest activity could swiftly release large volumes of timber and depress prices again, but they caution that relying on such contingencies leaves mills exposed to volatile swings.
