Tuesday, January 20, 2026
In 2025, Norra Skog recorded the biggest amount of timber contracted ever, totaling 3.9 million cubic meters solid under bark (m³fub), marking a significant milestone for the country’s forestry sector. The accomplishment exceeds the 2024 target of 3.6 million m³fub and demonstrates the resilience of Norra Skog’s long-term, member-owned business model in the face of operational difficulties and market uncertainties.
Timber contracting plays a central role in the Nordic forestry system. Through advance agreements between Norra Skog and its member forest owners, harvesting operations are planned and scheduled under clearly defined conditions. This approach provides forest owners with predictability, allowing them to plan their forest economy with confidence, while ensuring that contractors, transport companies, and the forest industry have reliable access to raw materials.
According to Patrik Jonsson, Head of Forest & Timber at Norra Skog, the record-breaking volume demonstrates that the association’s integrated model continues to deliver results. He noted that contracting provides security for members while enabling long-term forestry planning that balances economic returns with sustainable forest management. In an industry where timing, quality, and logistics are closely interconnected, such stability is increasingly valuable.
Norra Skog’s success in contracting is underpinned by a holistic approach to forest ownership. Beyond timber sales, the association offers a wide range of complementary services designed to increase member value across the full forest lifecycle. These include forest management planning, silviculture services, forest road construction and maintenance, clearing operations, fertilisation, forest economics advice, and property brokerage. By combining these services with timber contracting, forest owners receive coordinated support from early planning through to harvesting and regeneration.
Jonsson emphasised that contracting timber well in advance allows Norra Skog and its members to optimise harvesting timing, wood quality, and pricing. This, in turn, creates stability not only for forest owners but also for forest contractors, hauliers, and industrial customers that depend on consistent timber flows. The forestry supply chain involves many actors, and long-term planning is essential to keeping operations efficient and resilient.
The 2025 forestry season was not without difficulties. An unusually mild autumn, combined with a sharp increase in appeals from environmental organisations, affected operational planning and access to harvesting areas. These factors disrupted timber availability and created challenges across the supply chain. Forest contractors in particular faced difficulties maintaining steady workloads during the autumn months.
Despite these constraints, Norra Skog reports that overall performance in 2025 exceeded the previous year. Demand for additional services grew significantly, including road services, fertilisation, forest economic advisory, and real estate brokerage. This trend indicates that more members are recognising the value of an integrated forestry solution where timber contracting and professional advice are closely linked.
The record contracting volume achieved in 2025 reinforces Norra Skog’s position as a stable and reliable player in Sweden’s forestry sector. It also demonstrates that a member-focused, long-term business model can perform strongly even when market conditions are volatile. As fluctuations continue to affect global timber markets, Norra Skog’s experience suggests that cooperation, planning, and integrity remain key foundations for sustainable forestry and resilient rural economies.
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Tags: forest owners association, member-owned forestry, sustainable forest management, Sweden forestry industry, timber contracting Sweden, timber supply chain
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