Wood Fiber Costs Declined for both Softwood and Hardwood Pulp Producers in 2019 and early 2020
Wood fiber costs fell for many hardwood pulp-producing countries worldwide in the 1Q/20. The biggest declines (in US dollar terms) were seen in the US South, Russia, and Latin America, where hardwood pulplog prices were down between 5 and 10 percent from the 4Q/19. In the US South, hardwood prices fell for the second consecutive quarter in the 1Q/20 after having reached an all-time high in the 2Q/19. The relatively steep decline took prices in the US South down to their lowest levels in almost three years. The major driver of declining pulplog prices was the reduction in log demand from