Logging in russia Is Plummeting

In 2025, logging figures in russia fell sharply. Total timber sales fell to 176 million cubic meters, which is by 10% lower than the previous year. This is the worst figure since the start of russia’s full-scale aggression against Ukraine, and by 30% lower than 10 years ago.

The crisis in the forestry industry of the rf is systemic. On the one hand, international sanctions have hit the industry hard, significantly reducing demand for timber and forcing suppliers to change their logistics chains. This has led to higher timber prices and made harvesting unprofitable. The kremlin’s calculations and slogans about domestic demand did not help – russians do not need such large quantities of expensive firewood. Vice president of the “segezha group” trading company nikolai ivanov believes that the Chinese market will not save russian loggers either. “For China, the EU market is semi-closed in many areas, it has great difficulties in trade with the USA, and its own internal problems with construction. Therefore, demand for exports is falling and will continue to decline,” he said.

Another deadly factor for logging in russia is the wear and tear of logging equipment. According to experts’ estimates, by 2028, 90% of imported harvesters and forwarders will be out of service. russian machine builders have nothing to offer to replace imported equipment. russians are assembling single samples of such machines, with a need for 3,500 to 10,000 in the next two to three years.

At the same time, in search of money for the war against Ukraine, the kremlin plans to increase rental rates for forest plots by 40-50% in 2026, which also does not add to the optimism of the employees of the russian forestry industry. Therefore, in the near future, the crisis in the logging industry will only deepen and spread to other related segments, in particular the pulp and paper industry and wood processing.